ECOWAS and Democratic Reversal in West Africa: Re-visiting Military Incursion on the State Leadership

Abstract

This paper explores the major impediments to democracy in West Africa as some states are trapped in a reversed democratic experience where the military have consistently made efforts to take over power. It examines the character and nature of democracy in West Africa using system theory as a tool of analysis. It also assesses the role of Economic Community for West African State (ECOWAS) in promoting and protecting democracy in West Africa considering various interventions and conferences held to safeguard it. Methodologically, it employs the use of descriptive analysis relying solely on secondary information for data generation and articulation. It discovers that despite all the efforts ECOWAS is making, African leaders are not living up to their mandate. It is in line with this that the research states that the problem remains a systemic one. It thus, recommends that there should be a concerted effort to commit concerned bodies into employing legal means in addressing similar reversal whenever it occurs.

Keywords; ECOWAS, Democracy, Democratic Reversals, Military Coup d’état, West Africa.