The 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has accused the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) of applying double standards in its response to the political disruption in Guinea-Bissau, describing the bloc’s swift condemnation of a military-linked electoral glitch as inconsistent with its silence on similar incidents elsewhere.
In a statement shared on his verified X handle on Sunday and titled Reflecting on the ‘Coup Glitches in Guinea-Bissau’, Obi said any form of interference — whether by force or through technology — weakens democratic systems and should draw equal regional scrutiny.
Recounting his return from a meeting at the European Parliament, Obi said he listened to former President Goodluck Jonathan’s briefing as head of the ECOWAS Election Observation Mission to Guinea-Bissau. According to him, Jonathan had hinted that the so-called coup announcement appeared unusual, especially since it was disclosed directly by the country’s president despite reports that voting had been peaceful.
“What makes the situation even more striking is that the election was reportedly peaceful, with the only remaining step being the formal announcement of the results,” Obi noted.
He questioned why ECOWAS moved quickly to sanction Guinea-Bissau but ignored instances in other nations where technological failures occurred at critical electoral stages.
“Do we only condemn coups that are visible with guns and ignore those carried out through a designed technological failure?” he asked, adding that “whether technical or political, these challenges can undermine democracy, hinder progress and obstruct the rights of African citizens to freely elect their leaders.”
Obi argued that democratic systems collapse not only under military pressure but also under “convenient glitches” that delay or distort election outcomes.
“The Guinea-Bissau scenarios represent two faces of the same crisis: one where ballots are discarded by force and another where ballots are obstructed by convenient technical issues,” he said.
He emphasised that true democracy can only thrive where transparency, accountability and the genuine voice of the electorate are respected without interference from either violence or technology-driven disruptions.
Obi urged ECOWAS to adopt a consistent approach to safeguarding democracy across West Africa, insisting that the will of the people must not be compromised under any guise.
