President Bola Tinubu, who currently holds the position of Chairman of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), held a discussion with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau about the recent coups in the Niger Republic in West Africa and Gabon in Central Africa. This conversation took place shortly after a group of Gabonese soldiers declared a coup, just hours after President Ali Bongo Ondimba was declared to have won a disputed third term in office, despite his family’s longstanding control over the country. The coup leaders cancelled the election results and placed President Ali Bongo and his family under house arrest.
On the outcome of Tinubu’s discussion with Trudeau, the President’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale, said, “President Bola Tinubu has held a substantive and extended discussion with Canadian Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, where issues related to the crisis in Niger Republic and the unfolding situation in Gabon were discussed.
“The two heads of state mutually agreed that the promotion and protection of constitutional democratic governance on the continent remains a paramount priority and that the people of Africa living in the Diaspora around the world, making a huge impact on the sociopolitical landscapes of countries around the world and the economies of countries around the world, continue to urge the global community to advance the cause of democracy on the continent for the sake of the economic prosperity of all Africans.
“So it is of frontline importance to understand that His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, will continue to engage with heads of state, not just within the African Union, but also around the world, and those engagements are ongoing.”
President Tinubu earlier said that he was working closely with the AU to determine the next line of action “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”.
The coup in Gabon came about a month after some military officers ousted the democratically elected President of Niger Republic, Mohamed Bazoum.
