By Chimaobi Afiauwa, Abuja
President Bola Tinubu has condemned the recent military coup in Gabon that toppled the government of Ali Bongo.
In his first official response to the Wednesday coup in Gabon, the Nigerian president expressed deep concerns over the spread of military rule in Africa, saying “contagious autocracy” is spreading across Africa and he is committed to working with other heads of state on the continent to defend democracy.
MUK TV reported how some senior military officers in Gabon took over power in the oil-rich country five days after the country’s presidential election, ending the Bongo dynasty that lasted for 56 years.
In a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr. Ajuri Ngelale, President Tinubu said he is “watching closely with deep concern” for Gabon’s socio-political stability and “at the seeming autocratic contention apparently spreading across different regions of our beloved continent.”
The recent development in Gabon adds to the number of coups in Africa, making it a total of seven African countries that have witnessed military takeovers since 2019.
Tinubu, who is the leader of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), is still battling with how to restore democratic rule in Nigeria’s neighboring country, Niger, whose president was ousted from office over a month ago.
Ngilali’s statement reads in full, “President Bola Tinubu is watching closely with deep concern for the country’s social and political stability and at 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 State in the African Union towards a comprehensive consensus on the next steps forward concerning how the power in Gabon will play out and how the continent will respond to the contagious autocracy we have seen spread across our continent.”
