Former Nigerian vice president Alhaji Atiku Abubakar has condemned the unconstitutional removal of Gabonese President Ali Bongo by the country’s military officers.
POLITICS NIGERIA reports that in a statement on Thursday, Atiku called on the leadership of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to engage the soldiers diplomatically and convince them to return to the barracks.
Atiku said that democracy has come to stay as a preferred form of government and that everything should be done to enthrone, nurture, and sustain it.
He recalled that the coup in Gabon is the eighth military takeover in Central and West Africa since 2020.
Atiku said that the ECOWAS and African Union authorities should open a window of diplomatic engagement that will pave the way for the soldiers to return to the barracks.
He also called for introspection to find ways to deal with the root causes of coups in the region.
He said: “The coup in Gabon stands condemned. Democracy and democratic governance have come to stay as a preferred form of government, and everything should be done to enthrone, nurture, and sustain it.
“As I suggested in the case of the Niger Republic, the ECOWAS and African Union authorities should open a window of diplomatic engagement that will pave the way for the soldiers to return to the barracks.
“The latest coup brings the number of military takeovers in Central and West Africa to 8 since 2020. This is worrisome and calls for introspection. We may have to focus on dealing with the disease and not the symptoms that birth coups”.
Atiku’s condemnation of the coup in Gabon comes amid growing concerns about military takeovers in Africa.
In recent years, there have been a number of coups in the region, including in Mali, Guinea, and Sudan.
