In the aftermath of the military takeover in Gabon that led to the ousting of President Ali Bongo, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu engaged in a telephone conversation with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to discuss potential courses of action moving forward.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Nigeria Television Authority (NTA) revealed through a tweet that President Tinubu, who also serves as the Chairman of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), had a conversation with Trudeau on Wednesday. The Nigerian Presidency stated that Tinubu is collaboratively working with other African Union Heads of State to establish a comprehensive consensus on the appropriate next steps.
The Gabonese military declared on television that they had nullified the country’s election results and assumed control. The coup transpired as the nation was concluding its general election, which took place on August 26. The military officers, identifying themselves as the “Committee of Transition and Restoration of Institutions” (CTRI), cited the severe political crisis stemming from governance issues as their motivation for the takeover.
In their statement, they expressed concern over the degradation of social cohesion due to irresponsible governance, which posed a threat of pushing the nation towards chaos. The coup marked the end of President Ali Bongo’s leadership, who had been in office since succeeding his father, Omar Bongo, in 2009. Bongo, seeking a third term, had been declared the winner of the election by Gabon’s electoral authority, securing 64 percent of the total votes.
Additionally, the military announced the closure of borders until further notice and the dissolution of all state institutions, including Parliament, the electoral commission, the constitutional court, and the presidency.
