The ECOWAS Heads of State and Government have agreed to step down their candidates for Commissioner for Peace and Security in the African Union in favour of a Nigerian candidate as requested by President Muhammadu Buhari.
Nigeria’s Minister for Foreign Affairs Mr. Geoffrey Onyeama disclosed this to state house correspondents on Tuesday after the closed door virtual extraordinary session of the Authority of Heads of State and Government chaired by President Muhammadu Buhari who was represented by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo.
Mr Onyeama wants Nigerians to recognize the gesture as a sign of the great respect African leaders have for President Muhammadu Buhari.
He also stated that the choice of candidate for the Head of the African Union from the ECOWAS block would also favour the candidate of President Muhammadu Buhari.
Top on the agenda for the meeting was the selection of a chairperson for the African Union for the 2022-2023 tenure and a proposed mechanism for designation of countries in the coming years, a review of the report of the council of ministers on the harmonization of member states applications for positions in international organizations and the status of the implementation of ECOWAS institutional reforms.