President Bola Tinubu has called on African leaders to respect democracy, rule of law, and ensure political stability, noting that coups d’état should be discouraged, especially in the face of challenges like the COVID-19 pandemic, insecurity, and climate change.
The President made this call on Saturday in a statement presented by Ambassador Adamu Ibrahim Lamuwa, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, at a high-level event organized by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) on the margins of Fifth Mid-Year African Union (AU) Coordination Meeting.
The President said it was regrettable that West Africa is leading other regions in the use of unconstitutional means to change government despite its numerous instruments and mechanisms for promoting democracy and good governance.
According to the Presidency, he also warned that the ugly trend of the military straying into the political arena is causing threats to peace, security and stability, and engendering poverty, displacement, and humanitarian crises.
”This ugly trend has only succeeded in threatening the peace, security and stability of the sub-region and, by extension, the African continent, leaving in its trail poverty, internally-displaced persons and humanitarian crisis. In the same vein, this ugly trend has also led to food shortages and escalated health challenges.
”We, therefore, must take deliberate steps to address the root causes of unconstitutional changes and coups d’état in Africa. As a continent, we cannot make progress toward achieving the goals and targets of the UN Agenda 2030 for sustainable development, as well as those of AU Agenda 2063 for the “Africa We Want”.
”Between 2020 and now, Africa has witnessed six successful coups d’état and three unsuccessful attempts. This rise in military takeovers and unconstitutional changes in government disrupts our democratic processes and undermines stability on the continent.
”It is for this reason that I call on all African leaders at all levels to make concerted efforts in respecting the tenets of democracy and the rule of law, in order to ensure political stability on the continent,” he said.
While acknowledging that democracy may present challenges in terms of management and dynamics, President Tinubu reiterated that it is the best form of government for 21st-century Africa.
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