Crisis: Malian President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita Won’t Resign, ECOWAS Leaders Insist

The sub-regional leaders of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) on Monday insisted that President Ibrahim  Keita of Mali will not step aside as being demanded by members of the opposition in that country.

Keita has so far spent two out of the five years second term in office.

But a resistance group, M5, is insisting that the Constitutional Court must be dissolved, and Keita must resign, before peace can return to the country.

The Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Zubairu Dada, who spoke to State House correspondents on the resolutions of the leaders at the end of the ECOWAS virtual meeting, however, said the meeting endorsed a government of national unity.

He disclosed that the meeting also endorsed the cancellation of the 31 disputed parliamentary seats and fresh elections should be conducted.

“The resolutions of the meeting of the Heads of State and Government of ECOWAS stressed the importance of the need to respect the institutions of the republic especially the constitutional means of acceding to power in conformity to with the ECOWAS protocol, democracy and good governance.

“This is important because the opposition was making a demand for the resignation of the president and the ECOWAS position is `that is a no go area’, and that no head of state shall be removed other than through constitutional means.

“It has also resolved that the parliament, because if you remember the crisis actually started from the elections of March this year which gave rise to a lot of crises in the country because of 31 disputed seats

“Therefore, the meeting has resolved that these 31 seats that are in contention these members be asked to resign to make rooms for a fresh election into these 31 seats that are contention,’’ he said.

Dada added that the leaders asked all political parties to endeavour to obtain the immediate resignation of all the 31 Members of Parliament whose election is contested.

According to him, these resignations will pave the way for by-elections

“Pending these by-elections, the Parliament will operate with the 116 remaining members,’’ he said.