Presidency: Tinubu working with AU to determine next line of action in Gabon

Ajuri Ngelale, special adviser to President Bola Tinubu on media and publicity, says his principal is consulting with the African Union (AU) to determine the next course of action about the coup in Gabon.

Ngelale, who spoke on Wednesday during a press conference at the State House, Abuja, said the president “affirmed that the rule of law and a faithful recourse to the constitutional resolutions and instruments of electoral dispute resolution must not at any time be allowed to perish from our great continent”.

Earlier, Gabonese soldiers announced on national television that they had seized power after President Ali Bongo was re-elected for a third term in office in the Central African nation.

The soldiers said they were annulling the results of Saturday’s election which the opposition had denounced as “fraudulent”.

A few hours later, the coup leaders placed Bongo under house arrest and announced that one of his sons had been arrested for “treason”.

According to Ngelale, Tinubu said he was deeply concerned about the spread of autocracy in Africa.

“The president frowned at the latest military takeover in Gabon adding that “power belongs in the hands of Africa’s great people and not in the barrel of a loaded gun,” Ngelale said.

He added that Tinubu urged African leaders to uphold democratic values, as he is consulting with the AU leaders on how best to address the “contagious autocracy” spreading across Africa.

“To this end, the president is working very closely and continues to communicate with other Heads of State in the African Union towards a comprehensive consensus on the next steps forward 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,” he said.

Ngelale added that Tinubu has also had “substantive extended discussions” with Justine Trudeau, the Canadian prime minister, on issues related to the crisis in the Niger Republic and the unfolding situation in Gabon.

“The two heads of state mutually agreed that the promotion and protection of constitutional democratic governance on the continent remains a paranoid priority and that the people of Africa living in the diaspora around the world making a huge impact on the social and political landscapes of countries around the world and the economies of countries around the world continue to urge on the global community to advance the course of democracy on the continent for the sake of the economic prosperity of all Africans,” Ngelale said.

“So, it is of frontline importance to understand that President Bola Tinubu would continue to engage with Heads of State not just only in the African Union but also around [the] world and those communications and engagements are ongoing.”

Tinubu, who is also the chairperson of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), has been relentless in his resolve to ensure that constitutional order returns to Niger Republic, a country experiencing its fifth coup.