President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, on Saturday in Nairobi, Kenya, called on African leaders to respect democracy, the rule of law and ensure political stability.
Tinubu disclosed this in a statement by Dele Alake, Special Adviser to the President on Special Duties, Communications and Strategy.
He stated that Ambassador Adamu Ibrahim Lamuwa, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, represented Tinubu.
At a high-level event organized by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) on the margins of the Fifth Mid-Year African Union (AU) Coordination Meeting, Tinubu urged African military institutions and states to recognize and respect the need for democratic renewal.
He 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 must take deliberate steps to address the root causes of unconstitutional changes and coups d’état in Africa. As a continent, we cannot progress toward achieving the goals and targets of the UN Agenda 2030 for sustainable development, as well as those of the 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 to ensure political stability on the continent,” he stated.