Days after the coup in Guinea, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo
has urged the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to take steps
to prevent further overthrow.
He made the call while representing President Muhammadu
Buhari at a virtual Extraordinary Session of the Authority of Heads of State
and Government of ECOWAS member-states on the developments in Guinea and Mali.
The meeting was attended by 10 of the ECOWAS leaders and
others, including representatives from the United Nations.
On behalf of the Government of Nigeria, Osinbajo condemned
the coup, warning that President Alpha Conde’s ouster could seriously
destabilize the Republic of Guinea.
“What happened in Guinea is a brazen disregard for the
provisions of ECOWAS Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance, which clearly
states that every accession to power must be made through free, fair and
transparent election,” Osinbajo said.
He said the unconstitutional seizure of power in any shape
or form is simply unacceptable, adding that “four coups within the last few
months is a dangerous trend indeed”.
“We are sliding back to the infamous 60s. Our zero-tolerance
for coups is important but clearly insufficient. Are there further steps that
we can take to prevent coups d’etat?
“Could we, for example, work out an understanding with the
UN, AU, Commonwealth and possibly, even the development finance institutions we
are a part of to act in unity to suspend a country where there has been a
seizure of power from all these bodies simultaneously?”
The VP noted that it was imperative that countries in the
sub-region respect the provisions against unconstitutional accession to power,
and to apply it in all instances.
He called on the Authority to immediately invoke the
provisions of Article 45 of the ECOWAS Protocol on Democracy and Good
Governance by suspending Guinea from all ECOWAS decision-making bodies and
statutory meetings.
Osinajo said all necessary punitive measures must be taken
to ensure that the military junta does not overstay in power.
“We must forestall a repeat of military interventions and
the instability it engenders in the West African sub-region. In this
connection, Nigeria wishes to once again urge all to always respect the
principles of democracy and the constitutions of your respective countries.”
“Let me reiterate the imperative for the Malian Transitional
government to strictly respect the electoral timetable unveiled on 15th April
2021. I further call for the continued support and collaboration of all the
major players in the country’s march towards a successful transition”, he
added.
Advertise on NigerianEye.com to reach thousands of our daily users
No comments
Post a Comment
Kindly drop a comment below.
(Comments are moderated. Clean comments will be approved immediately)
Advert Enquires - Reach out to us at NigerianEye@gmail.com