President Tinubu Will Not Be Intervening In Gabon’s Political Crisis

Bashir Ahmad, a former social media aide to President Muhammadu Buhari, has said President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will not be intervening in the political crisis in Gabon like the case of Niger Republic.

Since the news of the deposed Gabonese President, Ali Bongo and the military takeover of power in the country broke, there have been concerns about how Nigeria, who is the leader of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) would handle the situation.

Recall that ECOWAS and African Union (AU) have rejected the coup in the Niger Republic and have been deliberating on moves to resolve the removal of a democratically elected president in the country.

In a post via Twitter, Bashir urged Nigerians to avoid any panic or concern about the ECOWAS leader, the Nigerian President, Bola Tinubu.

According to him, Gabon is not part of ECOWAS but a member of the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS); hence, Nigeria will not intervene in the crisis.

He tweeted, “Calm down. Gabon is not part of ECOWAS; the country is a member of the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS). So Nigeria, which is a leader of the ECOWAS, will not be intervening in the political crisis in Gabon, regionally.”

Meanwhile, Ahmad had earlier said it is disheartening that Africa faces a resurgence of political instability following a fresh coup in Gabon.

He said while Africa is simultaneously grappling with the ongoing crisis in Niger Republic, Burkina Faso and other nations, the pursuit of progress is being tested.

The former presidential aide added that the recent coup in Gabon serves as a stark reminder of the fragility of political transitions in Africa, adding that such coup incidents raise concerns about the continuity of progress in Africa.