The ECOWAS Parliament yesterday submitted a Draft Supplementary
Act for the Enhancement of the Powers of the Community Parliament to the ECOWAS
Commission.
Presenting the Draft Supplementary Act at ECOWAS Secretariat in
Abuja, the Speaker of ECOWAS Parliament, Senator Ike Ekweremadu said the
enhancement of the powers of the Community Parliament was in line with Article
4(2) of the Supplementary Protocol which provides that the Parliament’s powers
“shall be progressively enhanced from advisory to co-decision making and
subsequently to a lawmaking role in areas to be defined by the Authority”.
Ekweremadu regretted that whereas ECOWAS Parliament was the only
supranational parliament with solid structure and prospects of transforming
into a full legislative body throughout the African continent at the time of
its inception in year 2000, it had remained a mere consultative and advisory
Parliament whereas other regional parliaments it predated had either gained
legislative powers or at the fringes of doing so.
Besides the European Union which he said had long assumed full
legislative powers, he cited the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) as an
example of a sub-regional parliament that have gained legislative powers in
specific areas while the processes of transforming the Southern African
Development Commission Parliamentary Forum (SADCPF), and the Pan African
Parliament had reached advanced stages.
Speaking on the salient aspects of the document, the Speaker
explained that Draft Supplementary Act seeks the election to the ECOWAS
Parliament by Electoral College and a co-decision status with Council such that
both Council and Parliament could initiate Legislative Acts.
Reacting to the submissions, the President of ECOWAS, Kadre Desire
Ouedraogo who commended Senator Ekweremadu for the vibrant leadership and
vision which he had brought to bear on the Community Parliament, pledged the
Commission’s support towards the realisation of the noble ideals set out in the
Draft Act.
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