President Bola Ahmed Tinubu
By DAVID IORJA, Abuja –
President Bola Tinubu has reacted to the unfolding political standoff in Gabon, a country in Central Africa.
Army officers had earlier seized power in Gabon because elections held over the weekend were not credible. The elections returned disputed after the electoral body announced incumbent President Ali Bongo as winning a third term.
Reacting to the development in a statement on Wednesday, President Tinubu, said he is watching the developments unfolding in Gabon very closely and with deep concern for the country’s socio-political stability.
He expressed concern as the seeming autocratic contagion appearing to spread to other parts of the African continent.
“The President, as a man who has made significant personal sacrifices in his own life for the cause of advancing and defending democracy, remains steadfast in his 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 constitutional instruments of electoral dispute resolution must not be allowed to perish from our great continent.
“To this end, the President will continue to communicate with other Heads of State within the African Union and beyond toward a comprehensive consensus on the next steps forward”, says the presidential spokesman, Mr Ajuri Ngelale.
