Gabon coup: I’ll meet AU leaders on the next step to take — Tinubu

Following the sudden military coup that took place in Gabon on Wednesday morning, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has said that he will meet other African leaders on the next steps to take.

He equally expressed deep concern over Gabon’s socio-political stability.

Though, this is coming after a group of Gabonese military officers appeared on national television announcing that they are “putting an end to the current regime”.

It subsequently cancelled Saturday’s election which President Ali Bongo won. Bongo’s family has held power for 55 years in the oil rich country.

But President Tinubu while reacting over the political tension in Gabon in a statement made by his spokesman, Ajuri Ngelale, said that he has made personal sacrifices for the cause of defending democracy and that he 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 statement reads, “He President Bola Tinubu is watching developments unfolding in Gabon very closely and with deep concern for the country’s socio-political stability and 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.”

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