Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar on Thursday reacted to the coup in Gabon, saying African leaders should focus on the causes of rising cases of military overthrow of democratic governments in the continent.
Gabonese senior army officers had on Wednesday seized power from President Ali Bongo, days after he was controversially reelected for a third term on Saturday.
Bongo was the third president of Gabon from 2009 to 2023. He took over from his father, Omar Bongo, who was President of the country from 1967 until his death in 2009.
In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, Atiku, the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2023 presidential election condemned the coup in the Central African country.
But, noting that the Gabon coup was the eighth in Central and West Africa since 2020, Atiku said African leaders should focus on the cause rather than the symptoms.
He wrote, “The latest coup brings the number of military takeovers in Central and West Africa to eight since 2020. This is worrisome and calls for introspection. We may have to focus on dealing with the disease and not the symptoms that birth coups.”
Condemning the coup, Atiku said there was a need for ‘diplomatic engagements’ towards restoring democratic governance.
He added, “The coup in Gabon stands condemned. Democracy and democratic governance have come to stay as a preferred form of government, and everything should be done to enthrone, nurture, and sustain it.
“As I suggested in the case of the Niger Republic, the Economic Community of West African States and African Union authorities should open a window of diplomatic engagement that will pave the way for the soldiers to return to the barracks.”
