Daniel Bwala, former aide to the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party in the 2023 election, Atiku Abubakar, has clarified that President Bola Tinubu is not to blame for the withdrawal of Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
In a post on his official handle on Sunday, Bwala absolved Tinubu of any responsibility, attributing the exit of the three nations from ECOWAS to the complexities of proxy trade conflicts between Russia/China and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
Bwala made these remarks in response to the announcement of the military junta in Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger, declaring their withdrawal from ECOWAS on Sunday. The military juntas described it as a “sovereign decision” to leave the regional bloc “without delay.”
While addressing the situation, the former lawmaker urged Nigerians to focus on the nation and not attribute the withdrawal to Tinubu’s leadership or lack thereof, as speculated on social media and other news platforms.
“The withdrawal of the three West African nations from @ecowas_cedeao ECOWAS has nothing to do with @officialABAT President Tinubu’s leadership or lack thereof as it is peddled by naysayers. It has everything to do with the dynamics of proxy trade conflicts between @GovernmentRF Russia/China and the NATO. @NATO
“Nigeria is not at war with both blocs, so we are good, and President Tinubu would find a path for lasting peace in ECOWAS.
“Let’s focus on our nation, and together as a people, we would find solutions to our age-long problems.
“Make dem dey there dey, and make we dey our dey,” Bwala wrote.