President Mohammadu Buhari has said that military coup d’état were not longer acceptable in today’s Africa, stressing it was punishable to take over political power by force.
Buhari spoke on Wednesday night through his vice, Yemi Osinbajo who represented him in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso during a special meeting of the Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS, with the Head of military junta which seized power from the interim government headed by President Michael Kafando.
It will be recalled that president Buhari on the heels of the coup facilitated an emergency ECOWAS meeting in Abuja where a powerful delegation of 6 west African countries namely Nigeria, Ghana, Togo, Niger, Senegal and Benin were sent to talk with the military junta.
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Speaking after the meeting which brokered peace between the Presidential Security Regiment and the ousted government, president Buhari stated that coups were no longer a way of life in Africa.
He expressed gratitude to ECOWAS leaders for their role in the restoration of Kafando’s government.
The president also reiterated Nigeria’s continued brotherly support to Burkina Faso even as he commended the international community for coming together to condemn the coup.
“ECOWAS leaders are in Burkina Faso to convey the recommendations agreed by ECOWAS leaders in Abuja, and we have witnessed the reinstatement of President Michel Kafando as the Transition President of Burkina Faso.
“As you know President Kafando had been detained by the RSP, -the presidential guard-but they have now stepped down as you can see, and they are now part of the process to ensure that the transition goes on.” He continued: “what we have seen today is how ECOWAS states came together basically to agree and see to it that President Kafando was reinstated and now that has been accomplished.
“I think it is very clear going by the ECOWAS Supplementary Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance and the legal instruments of the African Union, that coups are no longer fashionable and no longer acceptable. In fact, it punishable to take power by force. As soon as this coup took place, the entire ECOWAS, AU and the entire international community rose with one voice against it,” he said.
