News / politics

Guinea crisis: Osinbajo to represent Nigeria at ECOWAS meeting in Accra

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo will on Thursday represent Nigeria at the Second Extraordinary Summit of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Governments on the political situation in the Republic of Guinea.

Laolu Akande, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Office of the Vice President disclosed this in a statement in Abuja.

Osinbajo had on September 8 participated at a virtual ECOWAS Extraordinary Summit on the political situation in Guinea and Mali.

The Authority had decided that Guinea be immediately suspended from all ECOWAS governing bodies and statutory meetings.

ECOWAS leaders had also called for the immediate and unconditional release of President Alpha Conde and other arrested persons, demanded the immediate return of Guinea to constitutional order.

They also decided to immediately dispatch a high-level ECOWAS mission to Guinea to assess the situation.

The meeting on Thursday will review the situation in Guinea in light of the report of the ECOWAS high-level mission to Conakry.

The vice president will be accompanied by the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Zubairu Dada.

He is expected back in Abuja later in the day.…

Foreign / News / Security

ECOWAS, Nigeria condemns Guinea coup d’état

The Economic Community of West African States and the Nigerian Government have strongly condemned the coup d’état that took place in the Republic of Guinea Conakry on Sunday.

President Nana Akufo-Addo of Ghana and Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, condemned the action in separate statements.

They described the action as a clear violation of the ECOWAS Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance, demanding for the immediate return to constitutional order.

Akufo-Addo, who is also the Chair of the Authority of ECOWAS Heads of State and Government, said ECOWAS demanded the immediate and unconditional release of President Alpha Condé as well as others arrested. He said: “ECOWAS notes with great concern the recent political developments which occurred in Conakry, Republic of Guinea. She condemns with the greatest firmness this coup attempt on Sunday, September 5, 2021.

“ECOWAS demands respect for the physical integrity of the President of the Republic, the Professor Alpha Condé, and his immediate and unconditional release as well as that of all the personalities arrested

“ECOWAS reaffirms its disapproval of any unconstitutional political change. She asks the defense and security forces to remain in a posture Republican and expresses its solidarity with the Guinean people and Government.”

Onyeama stated: “The Government of Nigeria strongly condemns and rejects any unconstitutional change of government.

“And therefore calls on those behind this coup to restore constitutional order without delay and protect all lives and property.”

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that on Sunday evening, heavy gunfire exchange was reported near the Presidential Palace in Conakry, the country’s capital.

Following the gun battles, soldiers, who call themselves the National Committee for Reconciliation and Development, appeared on TV, claiming to have dissolved the Conde-led government, taking over power.

Conde’s third term Presidency had earlier sparked violent and mass protest in the country after a disputed election in October 2020 and a new constitution in March 2020, which allowed him to sidestep the country’s two-term limit.…