Aleke Aleke in Abuja
A member of Guinea-Bissau’s delegation to the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Parliament has said that an unresolved political situation and restrictions affecting elected lawmakers are the reasons why his country is currently unable to present its national report at the ongoing session..
Speaking on the sidelines of the 2026 First Ordinary Session in Abuja, Manuel Nascimento Lopes questioned who would be constitutionally empowered to present such a report, noting that it could not legitimately come from the Conseil National de la Transition (CNT), the country’s National Transitional Council.
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“Is it the CNT that will present the country report?” Lopes asked, describing the situation in Guinea-Bissau as a self-staged coup.
He explained that two of the five elected members of his delegation were prevented from leaving Guinea-Bissau to attend the session, adding that they risk arrest upon arrival at the airport if they attempt to travel.
“We are only three here out of the five,” Lopes said in an interview. “Myself and another colleague cannot return to Guinea-Bissau — we are stuck in Nigeria. We will face drastic consequences upon landing in our country.
“Only one of our colleagues, a friend of the military junta, is entitled to represent Guinea-Bissau.”
Lopes added that although he is currently able to move freely in Abuja, the situation in his home country makes a unified parliamentary representation impossible.
“When we are five, shouldn’t all of us know what goes into the country report? It would be unacceptable to have just one person parading as the representative of Guinea-Bissau. That is impossible.”
No report from opposition or junta
Responding to suggestions that ECOWAS Parliament could accept separate reports from either the opposition or the ruling junta, Lopes dismissed the proposal.
“Guinea-Bissau cannot have any report from either the opposition or the ruling junta,” he said.
“The CNT government is not recognised by the ECOWAS Parliament. How can they send a report?
“The person representing the junta is not from a party — that party has stopped existing. We were elected as five representatives, in ECOWAS Parliament.”
He stressed that any legitimate national report must be jointly presented by all five elected members present in Abuja.
“No matter the situation, we cannot have someone on the side of the junta. We are on the side of the citizens. For us to present a report, we all have to be here.”
Lopes also referenced other ECOWAS member states that have successfully presented unified country reports, including Ghana, The Gambia, Sierra Leone, and Senegal, where lawmakers from both government and opposition cooperate.
“Ghana has become an example of democracy, not only in West Africa but across Africa,” he said.
He added that Guinea-Bissau’s delegation should at least be allowed to explain why it is unable to present its country report at the session.
