Guinea coup: Osinbajo to represent Buhari at ECOWAS meeting in Ghana

Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo will represent President Muhammadu Buhari at a meeting of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) over the situation in Guinea.

The meeting will be held on Thursday (today) in Accra, Ghana’s capital city.

Last week, Guinea President Alpha Conde was ousted from office and detained by military forces led by Mamady Doumbouya.

Many Africans across the continent have condemned the incident.

The African Union (AU) suspended the West African country in reaction to the development.

In a statement on Thursday, ‘Laolu Akande, the vice-president’s spokesman, said the meeting will review the situation in Guinea in the light of the report of the ECOWAS high-level mission to Conakry.

“Professor Osinbajo had participated last week at the previous ECOWAS Extraordinary Summit on the political situation in Guinea and Mali. That meeting was held virtually on the 8th of September,” Akande said.

“The Authority decided then that Guinea be immediately suspended from all ECOWAS governing bodies and statutory meetings.

“ECOWAS leaders had also called for the immediate and unconditional release of President Alpha Conde and other arrested persons; demanded the immediate return of Guinea to constitutional order; and decided to immediately dispatch a high-level ECOWAS mission to Guinea to assess the situation.

“The vice-president, who leaves Abuja this morning, would be accompanied by the Foreign Affairs Minister of State, Ambassador Zubairu Dada, and is expected back in Abuja later today.”