Former Labour Party Presidential Campaign Council Director-General, Doyin Okupe, has congratulated President Bola Tinubu on his re-election as chairman of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). Tinubu was re-elected during the 65th Ordinary Session of the bloc in Abuja on Sunday.
In a congratulatory message on Monday, Okupe said, “I congratulate President Bola Tinubu on his re-election as the leader of ECOWAS. It is difficult for me to understand why it is the destiny of President Tinubu to come into positions of leadership, both at national and regional levels, at periods of hardship and difficulty. But I pray for divine guidance and wisdom to navigate these turbulent waters.”
Okupe emphasized that Tinubu’s main agenda in this new tenure should be to reintegrate the leadership of Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger into ECOWAS. He also urged reconciliation with Nigeria’s immediate neighbor, the Republic of Niger, and advised Tinubu to seek support from former President Muhammadu Buhari and other influential Northern leaders.
Okupe suggested that the African Union officially spearhead this reconciliation effort, and recommended a diplomatic outreach to Russia to support this agenda, particularly if handled at the AU level.