Obi Questions ECOWAS Over Guinea-Bissau Crisis

Peter Obi has accused ECOWAS of using different standards in its response to the political disorder in Guinea-Bissau, where a military intervention interrupted the electoral process.

He made the claim in a post on his verified X handle on Sunday.

Obi said he had followed reports from the country after returning from a meeting at the European Parliament and noted that the incident appeared suspicious, especially since the president announced the supposed coup himself despite reports that voting had been peaceful.

He argued that ECOWAS moved quickly to punish Guinea-Bissau but had shown no reaction when other countries reported technology failures during elections. He asked whether the regional body planned to address situations where glitches disrupted the announcement of results.

Obi said technical failures during voting could damage democracy just as much as armed takeovers. He warned that treating digital disruptions as less serious allowed political actors to hide behind technology to influence outcomes.

He added that true democracy depended on transparency, accountability and respect for the people’s choice, not interruptions created by force or technical breakdowns. According to him, both types of disruption deny citizens their mandate and deepen instability across the region.

Obi urged West African leaders to address the root causes of electoral crises so that elections across the sub-region reflect the real decisions of the people.