GAYO REMOVED AS PAP ACTING PRESIDENT
The EXECUTIVE COUNCIL of the Forty Fourth Ordinary Session 14-15 February 2024 sitting in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia has made decisions and resolutions.
The 3rd Vice President of the Pan-African Parliament (PAP), Hon. Lucia Dos Passos is to take over as the Acting President of the PAP in line with the provisions of Article 12(7) of the Protocol to the Treaty Establishing the African Economic Community relating to the Pan-African Parliament (PAP Protocol).
Hon. Passos representing the West Africa Region will remain the Acting President until Bureau elections are held.
These were part of the decisions taken during the 44th Ordinary Session of the Executive Council of the African Union (AU) which ended on February 15, 2024 following the consideration of the draft decisions submitted by the Permanent Representative Committee (PRC) which had considered the Report of the Task Force set up by the Chairperson of the African Union Commission on the crisis at PAP resulting from the suspension of the Rules of Procedure adopted on 04 November 2023.
Hon. Lucia to take over as PAP Acting President, as Clerk is reinstated
…all spoke in support of the PRC recommendations and condemned the actions of Hon. Gayo. Only Zambia, Djibouti, Mauritius and Ethiopia spoke in support of the status quo. Interestingly, Kenya and Uganda’s Foreign Ministers were unequivocal in supporting the PRC recommendations, describing Dr. Gayo’s decisions as a “one man show”. It is hoped that the Members of Parliament from Uganda and Kenya who have been in the forefront of the support of Dr. Gayo will retrace their steps…..
●The PAP Plenary session should be convened at PAP headquarters before the
end of April 2024 to fill the vacancies in the PAP Bureau. The Commission
should oversee the election process of Bureau members to ensure transparency
●The Clerk of the Secretariat of the Pan-African Parliament should be immediately
reinstated.
●Administrative decisions made by the former and current leadership of PAP without following established rules and due process, including recruitment,
promotions, and suspensions, should be reviewed and nullified.
● REQUESTS the Commission to conduct an independent and comprehensive
forensic audit of the PAP’s overall administration, finances, and operations through the Board of External Auditors, and submit an audit report to the 46th Ordinary Session of the Executive Council in July 2024 Midrand, South Africa before the end of April 2024 to fill the vacancies in the PAP Bureau.
The Commission should oversee the election process of Bureau members to ensure transparency and independence, following the guidelines developed by the Office of the Legal Counsel.
v The suspended Rules of Procedure of the Pan-African Parliament (PAP) should be reconsidered by the PAP Plenary, taking into consideration the inconsistencies outlined in the Legal Opinion issued by the Office of the Legal Counsel.
v All administrative decisions made by the Second Vice President, Hon. Dr. Ashebir W. Gayo without following established rules and due process, including recruitment, promotions, and suspensions, should be reviewed and nullified.
The AU expressed dissatisfaction with the lack of accountability in the PAP and urged PAP to ensure that its members are held accountable for any legal, financial, or reputational damage caused or that will be caused to the Union. This includes holding accountable members of the current and former PAP leadership who have been or will be found responsible for posing legal, financial, or reputational risks to the Union.
An independent and comprehensive forensic audit of the PAP’s overall administration, finances, and operations is to be conducted through the Board of External Auditors and an audit report submitted to the 45th Ordinary Session of the Executive Council in July 2024.
