Atiku condemns Gabon coup, calls on African leaders to address recurring govt overthrow on African continent

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has condemned the recent coup in Gabon, and called on African leaders to focus on dealing with the root causes of coups across the West and Central African countries.

Atiku bared his mind in a post on his verified Facebook page on Thursday.

The former Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), presidential candidate in the 2023 general elections specified that democracy and democratic governance have come to stay as a preferred form of government, needing it to be sustained on the continent.

Recall that the Gabonese military under the aegis of the Committee for the Transition and Restoration of Institutions, CTRI, yesterday, sacked President Ali Bongo, placed him under house arrest and took over power in the oil-rich Central African country, Gabon.

This would make it the seventh African country to fall to military coup since 2020.

READ ALSO:Gabon Coup Update: Military places President Ali Bongo under house arrest

President Bola Tinubu, who doubles as the Chairman of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), had frowned at the recurring coups on the continent, and described it as a “contagious autocracy” spreading across Africa.

Atiku’s post read: “The coup in Gabon stands condemned. Democracy and democratic governance have come to stay as a preferred form of government, and everything should be done to enthrone, nurture, and sustain it.

“As I suggested in the case of the Niger Republic, the ECOWAS and African Union authorities should open a window of diplomatic engagement that will pave the way for the soldiers to return to the barracks.

“The latest coup brings the number of military takeovers in Central and West Africa to 8 since 2020. This is worrisome and calls for introspection. We may have to focus on dealing with the disease and not the symptoms that birth coups. -AA”

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