Gabon Coup: Tinubu laments spread of contagious autocracy across Africa

Bola Tinubu, the president of Nigeria, has expressed concerns over the wave of “contagious autocracy” spreading throughout Africa.

Expressing his displeasure with the development, the Nigerian President said he is dedicated to working with other heads of state on the continent to defend democracy.

According to a statement by his spokesperson, Ajuri Ngelale, Mr. Tinubu made this in his initial response to the Gabon coup on Wednesday..

Recall that PoliticsNow had earlier reported how military officers in Gabon took over power in the central African country.

The military junta said they seized power in the central African country because elections held over the weekend were not credible. They cancelled the elections, dissolved all state institutions and closed the country’s borders.

Mr Ngelale in the statement detailed that President Tinubu is “watching closely with deep concern” for Gabon’s socio-political stability and “at the seeming autocratic contention apparently spreading across different regions of our beloved continent.”

Mr Tinubu is leading ECOWAS’ efforts to reverse the coup in neighbouring Niger and has been reluctant to authorise the use of force as approved by the ECOWAS heads of government to restore constitutional order in Niger.

The coup in Gabon, comes barely a month after the one in Niger, and is the seventh in Africa since 2019.