*Wants Touray recalled
A Nigerian civil society organisation, Make A Difference Initiative (MADI), has accused the President of the ECOWAS Commission, Dr Omar Alieu Touray of high handedness, saying it threatens the stability of the regional body and the long-standing diplomatic relations between Nigeria and The Gambia.
In a statement issued in Abuja MADI said certain actions by Touray against a Nigerian Commissioner, Professor Nazifi Abdullahi Darma, constitute a “dangerous violation of the ECOWAS Treaty”. The CSO, in the statement signed by its Director, Special Projects, Dr. Augustine Eigbe, demanded urgent intervention by the government of The Gambia to save the situation.
Thr group noted that ECOWAS Commissioner for Internal Services, Professor Darma had on account of Touray’s alleged high handedness, approached the ECOWAS Court of Justice to challenge a 30 October 2025 memo by Touray revoking all powers previously delegated him. The memo also accused him of insubordination.
MADI said the action was carried out “without any reference to the ECOWAS Council of Ministers,” the only body empowered to discipline Commissioners under Articles 18 and 19 of the 2006 Supplementary Protocol.
“The President of the Commission has no constitutional authority to discipline, suspend or strip a commissioner of delegated powers. Any such act is unlawful, null and void,” the organisation stated.
MADI equally raised concerns over allegations that Dr Touray attempted to assign Commissioner-level duties to his personal appointee from The Gambia, an act that would effectively give his home country two Commissionership slots in violation of the principle of equitable representation.
The group reminded that the ECOWAS Council of Ministers had in April 2025 decided in Accra that the portfolio of a departed Commissioner from one of the Alliance of Sahel States should be temporarily redistributed among serving Commissioners through proper consultation.
“Instead of following this directive, the President allegedly bypassed all consultation and acted unilaterally,” MADI claimed.
The organisation warned that Dr Touray’s alleged actions could place The Gambia, his home country, in an unfair diplomatic spotlight.
“By allegedly favouring personal associates from his home country and bypassing the Treaty, the President risks portraying The Gambia as a beneficiary of institutional impropriety,” MADI said.
“This perception is unjust to the Gambian people and threatens to strain the warm and historically mutual relationship between The Gambia and Nigeria.”
The group alleged that “there is growing unease about the concentration of power within the Commission under the current administration.
For instance, noted the group, “the Director of the Cabinet of the ECOWAS Commission, Mr Abdou Kolley, is a Gambian national appointed under Dr Touray’s tenure. As Director of the Cabinet, he oversees the President’s agenda, manages Commissioner coordination and influences internal decision-making. With both the President and his most powerful aide coming from The Gambia, the institutional equilibrium of the Commission appears tilted, whether intentionally or inadvertently.
“In ordinary circumstances, this alignment might pass unnoticed. But in the context of allegations that the President attempted to assign Commissioner level responsibilities to his personal appointee, also Gambian, concerns about institutional impartiality become magnified. Such a scenario would effectively allow one country to wield disproportionate influence within the Commission, in violation of the principle of equitable representation embedded in the ECOWAS Treaty,” noted the CSO.
The group stressed that Nigeria remains the anchor of ECOWAS, contributing nearly 90 percent of the organisation’s financial and logistical resources.
“Given Nigeria’s centrality to the survival of ECOWAS, any conduct that appears to undermine Nigerian representation within the Commission risks creating unnecessary diplomatic tension,” it added.
In its strongest statement yet, MADI urged the Gambian Government to act decisively.
“It may be necessary for the government of The Gambia to rein in or, if required, recall Touray to protect its reputation, preserve bilateral goodwill and uphold the integrity of the regional body,” the statement said.
MADI also cited broader governance concerns within ECOWAS, including recruitment controversies, petitions over statutory appointments and a growing sense of discontent among staff within the Commission.
Combined with the withdrawal of Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger from the bloc and Guinea’s ongoing military transition, the group warned that ECOWAS is under significant internal and external strain.
“ECOWAS cannot demand constitutional order from member states while violating constitutional order within its own leadership structure,” MADI said. “Internal illegality at the Commission threatens the entire regional project at a time when West Africa is battling coups, insecurity and declining public trust.”
The Authority gathered that the dispute is expected to feature prominently at the upcoming statutory meetings of the regional body. These include the 55th Meeting of the Mediation and Security Council at the Ministerial Level scheduled for 9th December 2025, and the 95th Ordinary Session of the ECOWAS Council of Ministers holding from 10th to 12th December 2025, both at the Seat of the ECOWAS Commission Headquarters in Abuja. Diplomats and senior officials are already signalling that the controversy surrounding the Commission President’s actions may become an unavoidable discussion point during the deliberations.
Six Demands to Salvage ECOWAS
MADI outlined six urgent actions it believes are necessary to prevent further institutional damage:
Immediate reversal of the memo issued to Professor Darma; Full restoration of his delegated authority pending the Court’s ruling; and an emergency meeting of the ECOWAS Council of Ministers.
The group also demanded a guarantee of non-interference in the Court proceedings, a comprehensive review of governance practices within the Commission, and direct diplomatic intervention by the Gambian Government.
Speaking on behalf of the organisation, Dr Augustine Eigbe said the allegations, if confirmed, threaten the very credibility of the ECOWAS Commission.
“ECOWAS cannot lead West Africa out of instability while practising instability within its own house,” he said.
“Neither The Gambia nor Nigeria should suffer diplomatic strain because of the actions of an individual. This matter must be resolved transparently, lawfully and urgently,” declared the group..
