By Melvin Tejan Mansaray
Honorable Awaji-Inombek D. Abiante, a Member of the Nigerian Delegation to the ECOWAS Parliament has condemned colleagues for the concealing nature of some of the contents of their country reports.
He was speaking on the third day of the ongoing First Ordinary Session of the ECOWAS Parliament holding in Abuja, Nigeria following the tabling of the Liberia, Sierra Leone and Senegal Country reports on Wednesday 6th May, 2026 in the Chamber of the Community Parliament.
According to Hon. Abiante, if some countries in the sub region are not ready to fully embrace democracy then they must find something else to preoccupy themselves.
“People can’t come here to whitewash the situations in their countries,” he raged.
He criticized the Senegalese Delegation report for being ambiguous and opaque on the issue of arbitrary arrests which he said is reflective of a country doing business anyhow where people’s right to due process are not respected.
Hon. Abiante also lambast Liberia and Sierra Leone for not providing updates on the border dispute with Guinea even though they had floated the issue on the Floor of the House and much deliberation and efforts were made by Members of the ECOWAS Parliament for an amicable resolution.
He stressed that downplaying an issue that had the proclivity of causing war in the subregion is not reflective of the deserved attention it is worth.
Hon. Abiante condemned the Liberia Delegation for its hostility against Hon. Yekeh Koluba who was expelled from the Liberian House of Representatives for holding a contrary view to that of the Liberian government over the ownership of a disputed land in Foya District, Lofa County, which the Liberian MP said belongs to Guinea.
“Why should the Liberia House of Representatives expel a MP for saying the truth,” he asked.
In their various responses, the Liberian Head of Delegation, Sen. Melvin Snowe said that he did not support the expulsion of the MP for expressing his free speech rights, acknowledging that the failure of their delegation to update the House on the border dispute with Guinea was an oversight caused by his late arrival at the Session.
A Member of Sierra Leone’s Delegation among others noted that the failure to mention the border dispute was in itself a show of maturity and integration for which the ECOWAS exist.
Having critically questioned the delegations on their omission and listened to their various responses, Hon. Abiante further chide his colleagues with a sarcasm.
He asked:
“Of what use it is to shield the reality. What are you clapping for. This is not a church. I don’t belong to this class.”