Liberian crisis’ll be resolved constitutionally, Buhari tells ECOWAS chair

By Lawrence Olaoye

President Muhammadu Buhari has said the current political challenge in Liberia will be resolved constitutionally, urging all parties to exercise patience while waiting for the verdict of the Supreme Court.
According to a statement made available to newsmen yesterday by his Senior Special Assistant on media and publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu, Buhari gave this assurance while receiving the President of Togo, Faure Gnassingbe, who is the current Chairman of ECOWAS, at the State House.
The President expressed the hope that the outcome of the country’s Supreme Court verdict would be acceptable to all in order to ensure a peaceful transfer of power.
On the political situation in Guinea Bissau, the President told the ECOWAS Chairman that the leading political actors in the country should agree to a resolution and a transition that would pave way for elections in the country in 2018.
In his remarks, the ECOWAS Chairman said he had to meet with President Buhari on a number of challenges facing the West African region, and seek his counsel on the best way to resolve the issues.
Gnassingbe said they reviewed the political situations in Liberia, Guinea Bissau and Togo, and also talked about the ongoing reform in ECOWAS.
He said they were both satisfied with the progress made so far in implementing the reform in the regional body, expressing support for the rules and regulations endorsed by the ECOWAS Council of Ministers as guide for the selection of leaders of the ECOWAS Commission.
The ECOWAS Chairman said the institution’s Heads of State meeting will be held in Abuja in December.