By Abimbola Ogunnaike
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu condemned the military take of power from President Ali Bongo Ondimba of Gabon in the early hours of Wednesday, 30 August, 2023, thegazellenews.com report
President Tinubu said the actions of the country’s military junta negate the principles of democracy which recedes power constitutionally into the hands of the citizens and ‘not in the barrel of a loaded gun.’
He also expressed his worry over coup trends in some African countries of late, saying that as a strong believer in the tenets of democracy, he will work with other African leaders to bring amicable settlement of the political impasse in Gabon and other African countries which are under the rules of the military
President stated this through a statement issued on Wednesday, 30 August, 2023 by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale.
According to Ngelale, President is watching closely with deep concern “the seeming autocratic contention apparently spreading across different regions of our beloved continent.”
Ngelale said in the statement that Tinubu 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.
According to him, Tinubu “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 forward 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.”
Recall that some military personnel who took over from Bongo on Wednesday, had hinged their plot to seize power from Bongo on what they termed as observed flaws in the recent general election held on 26 August, 2023 in the central African country.
According to the military officers, the organisation of the general elections did not meet the conditions for a transparent, credible and inclusive ballot so much hoped for by the citizens of the country.
The coupists also cited irresponsible and unpredictable governance, resulting in a continuing deterioration in social cohesion, with the risk of leading the country into chaos.
