President Bola Tinubu of Nigeria has stepped down as the chairman of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Authority of Heads of State and Government on Sunday, July 7, 2024.
POLITICS NIGERIA reports that the body is currently holding its 65th Ordinary Session of the Authority in Abuja where the Nigeria Leader is expected to end his reign and hand over to his successor.
Tinubu’s leadership tenure began in July 2023 when he was unanimously elected as chairman at the 63rd Ordinary Session in Bissau, Guinea-Bissau.
During his term, he tackled numerous challenges, notably military coups in member states. Initially, he took a strong stance against unconstitutional changes in Niger Republic, Burkina Faso, Mali, and Guinea, leading to the imposition of sanctions.
However, ECOWAS later adopted a more peaceful approach, resulting in the lifting of sanctions. Though the regional bloc has lifted the earlier imposed sanctions, the military leaders vowed never to return to the ECOWAS. Instead, they went ahead to form Sahel bloc.
Despite these challenges, Tinubu played a crucial role in ensuring the successful 2024 Senegalese election by facilitating dialogue among stakeholders.