Tinubu urges ECOWAS’ unity to resist coups, ensure regional stability

President Bola Tinubu on Sunday urged West African leaders to close ranks against fresh shocks to democracy, citing the recent coup attempt in the Benin Republic and renewed instability in Guinea-Bissau.

Tinubu, represented by Vice President Kashim Shettima, spoke when he gave the opening address at the 68th Ordinary Session of the ECOWAS Heads of State and Government at the State House, Abuja, on Sunday.

“The external threats confronting West Africa today demand nothing less than a united front, terrorism, violent extremism, unconstitutional changes of government, transnational organised crime, arms for liberation, cyber insecurity, climate shocks, food insecurity and irregular migration,” said Tinubu.

He framed the moment as an existential test for the bloc, warning that West Africa “is most vulnerable, not when challenged from outside, but when weakened from within.”

“We do not share geography by accident. We share it by design, by history and by the enduring logic of kinship. West Africa is not a random assemblage of borders grown by chance. It is a family bound by memory, culture, struggle and aspiration,” Tinubu affirmed.

He argued that Nigeria’s position is that persuasion and solidarity, not force, must steer ECOWAS through its current storms.

Reflecting on the governance crisis in the region, Tinubu said, “We have, in recent times, allowed our differences to shake the very foundations of our union.

“We remain persuaded that fraternity, not force, must define the future of our community. Yet history reminds us that ECOWAS can only fulfil its purpose or aspiration when every member state upholds the values of purity, justice and equality within its domestic affairs.

“A community is only as strong as its trust its members repose in one another. Our shared challenge is to ensure that internal divisions do not erode the collective sense we have built over decades.”

Linking the Benin and Guinea-Bissau scares to wider regional threats, he pressed for a single voice on security, governance and economics.

Tinubu said, “No single member state, regardless of size or theme, can achieve enduring stability in isolation. Our security, prosperity and resilience are better built together. We must sit at the same table, speak with one voice and act with shared results.”

Sunday’s meeting convenes after five turbulent years for West Africa, which saw coups in Mali (2020, 2021), Burkina Faso (twice in 2022), and Niger (2023).

The developments also fractured the regional order, with the juntas in Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso announcing withdrawal from ECOWAS in early 2024.

The latest flashpoints include an attempted coup in Benin on December 7, 2025, and renewed instability in Guinea-Bissau, which former President Goodluck Jonathan described as a “ceremonial coup.”

Following the December 7 putsch attempt, Tinubu, responding to requests from the Béninoise government, ordered the deployment of jets and troops to quell the attacks.

On December 9, the Senate approved Tinubu’s request to send Nigerian troops to the Republic of Benin to help restore calm and stability.

Benin’s foreign ministry said about 200 West African soldiers, mainly from Nigeria and the Ivory Coast, are in the country to support the government.

Recognising the quick response of member states to the Benin incident, ECOWAS Chair, President Julius Bio of Sierra Leone, condemned the resurgence of unconstitutional power grabs in West Africa and warned that instability in one state endangers all.

“The instability in Guinea-Bissau and the attempted coup d’état in Benin remind us that democracy requires constant vigilance and principled action. On behalf of this Authority, I strongly condemn the unconstitutional change of government in Guinea-Bissau and the attempt to subvert the constitutional order in Benin.

“I commend the rapid mobilisation of ECOWAS troops and air assets, with Nigeria taking the lead to safeguard constitutional order in Benin”, he told leaders.

Bio said the collective response “reaffirms an essential principle: ECOWAS does not and will not compromise on democratic governance,” pledging solidarity with the peoples of Guinea-Bissau and Benin.

He framed the meeting as a hinge moment for the 50-year-old bloc as it confronts terrorism, violent extremism and organised crime spreading across borders.