Speaker of the House of Representatives, Abbas Tajudeen, has renewed the call to strengthen the mandate of the Parliament of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and adopt the proposals to move it from an advisory body to one with enhanced legislative authority.

Speaking yesterday at the opening of the First Ordinary Session of the ECOWAS Parliament for 2026, in Abuja, Abbas canvassed greater oversight capacity and a more direct role in regional decision-making by the parliament.

“It must function not only as a deliberative body but as a platform for aligning democratic practice with the expectations of citizens across member states. It is important to acknowledge that this question of relevance is not new,” he said.

A parliament with limited influence cannot adequately respond to a region facing democratic reversals, security pressures and economic uncertainty. Strengthening the powers, relevance, and operational capacity of this institution is therefore not a procedural ambition. It is a strategic necessity for regional stability.

The call for an empowered regional parliament became necessary following the shaky democratic institutions across the region.

He noted that democracy is under close examination in the region to see whether democratic governance is producing outcomes that citizens can recognise and trust.

He observed that in several countries within the sub-region, voter participation has declined and public confidence in institutions has weakened, while the regular unconstitutional changes of government signal underlying institutional stress.

MEANWHILE, the ECOWAS Parliament called on regional leaders to urgently confront the sub-region’s multifaceted challenges of rising insecurity, fragile democracy, and economic stagnation, to deepen integration and economic growth.

The Speaker of the parliament, Memounatou Ibrahima, made the appeal while declaring open the two-week event yesterday in Abuja.

She said West African leaders must remain steadfast in defending democracy, while also responding to growing internal and external pressures, stressing that subregional peace should not be taken for granted.

She said: “Let us make this session a decisive turning point in our efforts to strengthen our democracies and fulfil the promise of effective, visible regional integration for our peoples.

“Developments within our region reaffirm the view that democracy remains the unshakeable foundation of our Community.”

According to her, democracy is the bedrock of ECOWAS; hence, regional leaders should exercise caution and responsibility in handling emerging threats, particularly in politically fragile member states.

The Speaker further highlighted the region’s exposure to terrorism, piracy, cross-border crime and climate change, describing them as persistent threats requiring coordinated action.

She also condemned recent incidents of violence in the region and expressed solidarity with the affected Member States.