The Labour Party 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has criticized ECOWAS for its inconsistent responses to electoral disruptions in West Africa.
Obi reacted to ECOWAS’ condemnation of the military-led disruption of the electoral process in Guinea-Bissau, noting that the regional body had remained silent on the technology-related “glitch” that marred Nigeria’s 2023 elections.
Writing on X (formerly Twitter), Obi described the situation in Guinea-Bissau as a “coup glitch” and said it was striking that the election there had reportedly been peaceful, with only the formal announcement of results remaining, yet ECOWAS acted swiftly to sanction the country
“ECOWAS was quick to sanction Guinea-Bissau, but what does ECOWAS do when democracy is subverted not by soldiers, but by technology? What is the punishment for countries that announce ‘glitches’ at critical moments during an election?”
READ MORE: ECOWAS Suspends Guinea-Bissau After Coup, Demands Return to Democracy
He contrasted this with Nigeria’s experience, where technical failures during elections disrupted the democratic process but received little explanation or follow-up from ECOWAS.
Obi emphasized that any disruption whether caused by military intervention or technological failures undermines democracy and obstructs citizens’ rights to freely elect their leaders. He called for transparency and accountability to ensure that the will of the people prevails.
“The Guinea-Bissau scenarios represent two faces of the same crisis: one where ballots are discarded by force and another where ballots are obstructed by convenient technical issues. In both cases, the people suffer, democracy is undermined, and the region sinks deeper into instability,” Obi wrote.
He concluded by stressing that true democracy can only thrive when electoral processes are transparent, accountable, and uninterrupted by glitches or coups, and reaffirmed his vision for a New Nigeria and a more stable West Africa.
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