President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of Nigeria has said that the military coup in Gabon that deposed President Ali Bongo today Wednesday is a danger signal to Africa.
In his first reaction to the coup, Tinubu warned that the rule of law and democratic instruments of resolving electoral disputes must not be allowed to perish in Africa.
Tinubu said he was watching the unfolding events in the Central African country, and working with other leaders of the African Union to achieve a consensus position on the matter.
He spoke through a briefing by Ajuri Ngelale, Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, with correspondents at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
Tinubu reiterated that power and sovereignty lay with the people and not the barrel of guns.
The presidential aide said: “President Bola Tinubu is watching developments in Gabon very closely with deep concern for the country’s social and political stability and at the seeming autocratic contagion 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 continuing to communicate with other Heads of State in the African Union towards a comprehensive consensus on the next steps forward concerning how the crisis in Gabon will play out and how the continent will respond to the contagion of autocracy we are seeing spread across our continent.”
Then ensure credible elections and good governance that should stem the tide.