... Nigerian lawmakers filibustering to win 2023 elections --ECOWAS

The Parliament of the Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS, and Nigerian lawmakers are currently at each others' throats over alleged employment scandal in the regional body.

While the lawmakers, led by Speaker of the House of Representatives, Idris Wase, had alleged that principal officials of the regional group had embarked on the process of recruiting their relatives and cronies, the body accused the Nigerian lawmakers of misrepresenting facts to curry favour from voters, ahead of next year's general elections.

Leader of the Liberian delegation to ECOWAS Parliament, Edwin Snowe, who spoke for the body, blasted the lawmakers, saying: "The Nigerian delegation that raised the alleged scandal is filibustering to impress Nigerians so as to canvass for votes, ahead of the 2023 general elections in Nigeria."

He warned the Nigerian lawmakers not to cast unnecessary aspersions on the Parliament and its speaker, Sidie Mohamed Tunis, by misrepresenting facts.

He said: "ECOWAS was founded on solidarity; there is nothing that makes might right in the community. The Nigerian delegation questioning the recruitment process is misrepresenting the decisions that emanate from the plenary.

"I understand that our brothers are going for election and sometimes they filibuster because they want the vote and support of their constituencies to feel that they represent Nigeria's interest at the Parliament.

"But we will not allow the Parliament to be used as a stepping stone for the re-election of politicians," he warned

It will be recalled that the Nigerian delegation at the ECOWAS Parliament had threatened to withdraw the country's membership of the regional bloc if it did not suspend the on-going recruitment as recently directed in the 2022 First Ordinary Session of the ECOWAS Parliament in Abuja.