Former Vice President and presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party in the 2023 general elections, Atiku Abubakar, has called on African leaders to tackle the “disease of military coups” ravaging the continent and not focus on the symptoms.
Atiku stated this in a post via the social media platform, X (formerly known as Twitter) on Thursday while reacting to the recent coup in Gabon — the eighth in Africa since 2020.
He said the coup in the Central African country was condemnable, adding that everything should be done to sustain democracy on the continent.
“The coup in Gabon stands condemned. Democracy and democratic governance have come to stay as a preferred form of governance, and everything should be done to enthrone, nurture, and sustain it.
“As I suggested in the case of the Niger Republic, the ECOWAS and African Union authorities should open a window of diplomatic engagement that will pave the way for the soldiers to return to the barracks.
“The latest coup brings the number of military takeovers in Central and West Africa to 8 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,” he wrote.