President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Wednesday, reacted to the latest military coup in Gabon, leading to the ousting of President Ali Bongo, who has been placed under house arrest.
Earlier reports detailed how some army personnel had hinged their plot to seize power from Bongo on what they termed as observed flaws in the recent general election in the central African country.
Reacting via a statement released by his Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale, President Tinubu said the Nigerian government is watching closely with deep concern “the seeming autocratic contention apparently spreading across different regions of our beloved continent.”
Ngelale said 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.
He said 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 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.”