How Tinubu Drove Sahel States Out of ECOWAS — ADC

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has blamed President Bola Tinubu for the withdrawal of Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), saying his administration failed to properly manage Nigeria’s relationship with the countries.

The party’s National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, made the remark on Wednesday during an interview on Politics Today, a programme on Channels Television, while speaking on the rising insecurity across West Africa.

Abdullahi said the breakdown in regional cooperation had weakened the fight against terrorism in the Sahel.

“Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso left ECOWAS because President Tinubu came and mismanaged the relationship.

“What used to be joint collaboration to fight terrorism in the Sahel region became ‘all man for himself,’ and terrorism prospered,” he said.

He also cited the 2025 Global Terrorism Index, noting that Nigeria was ranked among the countries most affected by terrorism.

“The global terrorism index 2025, Nigeria ranked fourth in the list of the most terrorized countries in the world. Pakistan tops the table, followed by Burkina Faso and Niger Republic, while Nigeria is number four.

“Take Pakistan out and look at the other countries on the table. These are ECOWAS countries. These are countries that used to work together to fight terrorism,” Abdullahi stated.

According to him, Nigeria’s efforts to tackle insecurity must begin with rebuilding trust and cooperation with neighbouring countries.

“So what the ADC is saying is that the foundation for fighting terrorism in Nigeria must be drawn from our ability to build relationships with our neighborhood,” he said.

Abdullahi added that Nigeria could not effectively claim a leadership role in West Africa or the continent if it was unable to secure its own citizens.

“The ability of Nigeria to play any leadership role within the West Africa region depends on Nigeria’s ability to protect and defend its own people.

“As long as Nigeria is not able to protect and defend its own people, it cannot lead any claim to leadership in West African region or Africa as a whole,” he added.

Titilope Adako

Titilope Adako is a talented and intrepid journalist, dedicated to shedding light on the untold stories of Osun State and Nigeria. Through incisive reporting, she tackles a broad spectrum of topics, from politics and social justice to culture and entertainment, with a commitment to accuracy, empathy, and inspiring positive change.

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