By Egena Sunday Ode
President Bola Tinubu is working with other Heads of States in the African Union to evolve a comprehensive consensus response to Wednesday’s coup in Gabon.
Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale disclosed this at a press briefing in Abuja.
According to him, President Tinubu affirmed that the rule of law and a faithful recourse to the constitutional resolutions and instruments of electoral dispute resolution must not be allowed to perish from the African continent.
The Gabon coup has brought no less that seven African countries under military rule, including Chad, Mali, Burkina Faso, Guinea, Sudan and Niger.
Reports have suggested that the Gabon coup was precipitated by allegations of ballots riging in favour of the ousted President Ali Bongo
Tinubu in his capacity as the Chairman of the Authority of Heads of State and Government of the ECOWAS is currently championing the efforts by the regional bloc to restore constitutional order in Niger where President Nazoum was similarly deposed.
Ajuri said President Tinubu who had made tremendous sacrifices in the struggle for democracy believed that power lies with the people and not the barrel of the gun.
He said: “President Bola Tinubu is watching closely with deep concern for the country’s social political stability and at the the seeming autocratic contention 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 course of advancing and defending democracy is of the unwavering belief that power belongs in the hands of Africa’s great people and not in the barrel of a loaded gun.
“The President affirms that the rule of law and a faithful recourse to the constitutional resolutions and instruments of electoral dispute resolution must not at any time be allowed to perish from our great continent.
“To this end, the President is working very closely and continues to communicate with other Heads of States in the African Union towards a comprehensive consensus on the next steps forwards with respect to how the power in Gabon will play out and how the continent will respond to contagious autocracy we have seen spread across our continent.”
