Mercy JohnsonFormer Governor of Ekiti State, Ayodele Fayose expressed positive sentiments over the Gabon coup.
Speaking on Channels Television, Fayose said the quest to remain in power at all costs against the wish of the people has been responsible for the current wave of military takeover of government in parts of Africa.
Recall that Gabon, a Central African country on Wednesday, experienced a military coup following a dispute over the outcome of the recent presidential election results. Military leaders cancelled Gabon’s presidential election results in which Ondimba Ali Bongo was the winner. They subsequently dissolved all the institutions of the republic.
President Ali Bongo, 64, was re-elected for a third term, extending his family’s 50-year rule over Gabon. The Bongo family has been in power since 1967. The opposition, however, described the election results as a fraud executed by the ruling party.
Reacting to the coup, Fayose said he does not support military intervention in politics but argued that Gabon’s case is an exception.
He said: “I am very happy with what happened in Gabon. I don’t like military incursions in politics but I want to say to you that Nigeria is different, we have a reasonably stabilized democracy.”
He added that a sense of a sit-tight syndrome is the driving force of the recent surge of coups in Africa.
“We have our flaws but you can see the uninterrupted democratic process. After four years there will be an election. Nigeria has gone from one party to another party.
“One person to another person within a space of time. But in a country where one man is spending 30 or 40 years. You have to boot him out of the place in whatever way.”
Fayose noted that although not where the country ought to be, Nigeria has remained committed to democracy and change of government in the past 24 years.
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