Nigeria’s President, Bola Tinubu, has finally broken his silence on the latest coup in Africa. In Gabon, a military junta ousted a democratically elected President, Ali Bongo.
The nation was pushed into a new era after some top military officers appeared on Gabonese national television on Wednesday morning, announcing that they were “putting an end to the current regime”.
Also, they canceled an election that, according to official results, President Ali Bongo won.
Tinubu’s Reaction
Joining his counterparts from other countries in reaction to the development, President Tinubu, expressed his deep concern over the political situation and the socio-political stability in the African country.
The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale spoke on behalf of the Nigerian leader on Wednesday in Abuja.
Deep Concern
“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is watching developments in Gabon very closely with deep concern for the country’s sociopolitical stability and the seeming autocratic contagion apparently spreading across different regions of our beloved continent.
“The president, as a man who has made significant personal sacrifices in his own life, in the cause of advancing and defending democracy, has all of the unwavering belief that power belongs in the hands of Africa’s great people, and not in the barrel of a loaded gun.”
Constitutional Resolutions
According to Ngelale, Tinubu affirmed that “the rule of law and a faithful recourse to constitutional resolutions and instruments of electoral dispute resolution must not at any time perish from our great continent”.
The spokesman for the President said the Nigerian leader was working very closely and continuing to communicate with other heads of state in the African Union.
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The communication will birth a comprehensive consensus on the next steps forward.
This is with respect to how the crisis in Gabon will play out into how the continent will respond to the contagion of autocracy we are seeing spread across our continent.
