The President of Nigeria Bola Ahmed Tinubu who doubles as ECOWAS Chairman spoke loud and clear during the emergency summit in Abuja that the West African leaders will not tolerate any more unconstitutionality and undemocratic governance in the sub-region. Speaking on behalf of the ECOWAS Heads of State, President Tinubu noted that military coups and undemocratic governance cannot be tolerated or accepted anymore. Special attention was paid to President George Weah and the illegal Sierra Leone President Maada Bio. The celebrity status accorded President George Weah was very succinct and glowing, while the illegitimate Sierra Leone President Bio was cleverly ignored and laughed at. (Photo: Bio, 1st left, and President Weah, right, second row).

The highlight of the emergency summit was the conspicuous presence of the outgoing democratic Liberian President George Manneh Weah and the disgraced and illegitimate Sierra Leone President Julius Maada Bio. The appearance of the two politicians at the summit was a classic case of a tale of two cities where ECOWAS leaders welcomed them differently in cognisance of their just-ended general and presidential elections in their respective nations. The celebrity status accorded President George Weah was very succinct and glowing, while the illegal Sierra Leone President Bio was cleverly ignored and laughed at.

During the ECOWAS meeting over the weekend, the ECOWAS Chair Ahmed Tinubu said they would not tolerate any coup, military or constitutional, in West Africa. President Tinubu reiterated the urgent need to complete the Peace Dialogue in Sierra Leone and advised that it must be on time. President Tinubu like the other ECOWAS leaders levied resounding praises on George Weah for his exemplary efforts in demonstrating free, fair, credible, accountable and transparent elections. President Weah was particularly praised for consenting defeat even before the counting was concluded. The celebrity status accorded President George Weah was very succinct and glowing, while the illegal Sierra Leone President Bio was cleverly ignored and laughed at.

ECOWAS Chairman Tinubu not only hailed the outgoing Liberian leader Weah for peaceful and graceful acceptance of the Liberia elections results, but the Nigeria President also challenged the other West African Heads of State to emulate the excellent example in Liberia under President Weah. However, when President Tinubu turned to the Sierra Leone issue, his praise for democratic elections faded and it was replaced with denouncing a constitutional coup and admonishing all the West African leaders to be democratic. The celebrity status accorded President George Weah was very succinct and glowing, while the illegal Sierra Leone President Bio was cleverly ignored and laughed at.

The disgrace and exposure of Maada Bio to the outside was made public during Tinubu’s speech. While Tinubu was speaking, the ECOWAS television camera zoomed in on President Weah when he was hailed for his democratic practice. The ECOWAS camera also zoomed on the illegal Sierra Leone President Maada Bio when President Tinubu touched on the Sierra Leone fraudulent June 24 elections. The systematic movement of the zooming camera from Weah’s democratic credentials to Bio’s undemocratic agenda was clever photojournalism of the highest order. The ECOWAS chair stressed the need for constitutional rule. It was shameful how the camera was zooming in on Bio when the undemocratic rule was mentioned. Bravo to Weah for a job well done. The celebrity status accorded President George Weah was very succinct and glowing, while the illegal Sierra Leone President Bio was cleverly ignored and laughed at.

The zooming of Bio was deliberate and well-planned by ECOWAS which showed that they knew Bio stole the June 24 elections in Sierra Leone. Sources say Tinubu got a call from the White House before he made that historic speech in Abuja. Maada Bio is finished especially after his illegal SLPP regime snubbed the December 13, 2023, Tripartite Investigations Committee meeting in Freetown. Interestingly, the meeting will go ahead even without Bio’s representatives because the majority carries the votes. There are competent reports that Maada Bio will be captured by force in or outside Sierra Leone very soon. Just like how the stubborn Yahya Jammeh was bundled out of the Gambia. The celebrity status accorded President George Weah was very succinct and glowing, while the illegal Sierra Leone President Bio was cleverly ignored and laughed at.