West Africa has spent the past decade trapped in a troubling cycle of democratic retreat, constitutional manipulation and growing authoritarianism. While military coups often dominate global headlines, The Chronicle insists that an equally destructive phenomenon is expanding largely unchecked, that is, the rise of the constitutional coup.
This practice where incumbents distort or rewrite national constitutions to prolong their rule now stands among the gravest threats to stability in the West African sub-region. Yet ECOWAS, the body charged with protecting democracy has repeatedly failed to respond with the consistency and firmness the moment demands.
Across several West African states, presidents have found creative ways to cling to power. They stage referenda, reinterpret constitutional clauses or weaken legislative and judicial safeguards, all under the guise of legality. The Chronicle warns that these maneuvers erode democratic institutions from within, creating frustrations that eventually spill into unrest, violence and in some cases military intervention.
Guinea offers one of the region’s clearest examples. In 2020, former President Alpha Condé pushed through a controversial referendum to adopt a new constitution that conveniently reset his term count. His disputed third-term victory triggered nationwide protests, fuelled instability and ultimately ended in his removal by the military in 2021. We noted with concern that ECOWAS hesitated throughout this period, opting for muted diplomacy, even as Guinea edged toward collapse.
Côte d’Ivoire presents another troubling case. President Alassane Ouattara argued that the 2016 constitution nullified his previous mandates, allowing him to run again in 2020 and subsequently presenting himself for a fourth term in 2025. This calculated resetting of term limits has contributed to mounting political tension. As The Chronicle observes, Ouattara’s decisions have hardened Côte d’Ivoire’s democratic decline, fostering an increasingly authoritarian climate that threatens long-term cohesion.
Togo’s situation further highlights the region’s democratic fragility. Although term limits were reinstated in 2019, they were intentionally designed not to apply retroactively. This allowed President Faure Gnassingbé, already in power since 2005 to continue extending his family’s decades-long rule. The Chronicle sees this as a brazen manipulation that undermines the very idea of republican governance, replacing it with de facto dynastic rule.
These constitutional coups are not harmless legal exercises; they have serious consequences. They fuel political polarisation, provoke violent confrontations between security forces and civilians, and create openings for military adventurism. Ordinary citizens, especially women and children, are left to bear the human cost of instability. The Chronicle stresses that such turmoil is directly traceable to leaders who place personal ambition above national interest.
ECOWAS has, in isolated moments, acted with admirable resolve. Its firm stand in The Gambia in 2017, when it threatened force to compel Yahya Jammeh to accept electoral defeat, remains an example of what decisive regional leadership can achieve.
More recently, ECOWAS demonstrated readiness to intervene in Benin to protect its elected government from an attempted incursion. These actions show that the bloc is fully capable of defending democracy when it chooses to.
But ECOWAS cannot rely on episodic boldness. It must adopt a coherent, proactive framework to confront constitutional coups before they take root. This includes early monitoring of constitutional amendments, clear rules on presidential term limits and enforceable sanctions for leaders who attempt to manipulate constitutional order.
Millions of West Africans cannot continue living at the mercy of presidents determined to govern indefinitely. The Chronicle calls on ECOWAS to match its rhetoric with action and to defend democratic norms not only from soldiers in fatigues but from presidents who wield the constitution as a political weapon. Only a firm preventive approach can restore the region’s democratic credibility and safeguard its future.
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