President Muhammadu Buhari will on be represented by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo at an Extraordinary Summit of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government on Sunday in Accra, Ghana on the political situation in the Republics of Guinea and Mali.
Senior Special Assistant to the Vice President on Media and Publicity, Laolu Akande, disclosed this in a statement titled, ‘VP Osinbajo to represent Nigeria at 3rd ECOWAS extraordinary summit in Accra on political situation in Guinea, Mali.’
Sunday’s Extraordinary summit, which will be the third on the same agenda this year, will assess previous resolutions and further review the political situation in the Republics of Guinea and Mali.
Osinbajo had participated at the second ECOWAS Extraordinary Summit on the political situation in Guinea and Mali held on September 16, in Accra, Ghana. Before that, he also attended a virtual ECOWAS Extraordinary Summit held on September 8, on the same agenda.
ECOWAS leaders in the communique issued at the end of the last special summit in Accra had, amongst other resolutions, decided to freeze the financial assets of members of the military junta, place a travel ban on them, while also demanding that the junta return Guinea to constitutional rule within six months.
Nigeria’s position on the situation in Guinea had been restated by Osinbajo at the summit, urging for the unconditional release of President Alpha Condé and calling for more pressure to be put on the country’s military leaders to return the nation to democratic rule.
Equally, the Vice President had commended the efforts of stakeholders in Mali and re-emphasized the need to strictly respect and follow the electoral timetable for transition to civil rule.
At the virtual summit earlier, Osinbajo proposed punitive measures and proactive preventive steps towards addressing military intervention in civil rule in the region, which includes that the United Nations, African Union, Commonwealth, and other relevant or related financial institutions act in unity simultaneously “to suspend a country, where there has been seizure of power, from these bodies.”
He also proposed engagement with the military junta and all stakeholders in Guinea and the enforcement of necessary “punitive measures that will ensure that the military junta does not overstay in power.”
The Vice President also restated Nigeria’s position calling on all leaders to always respect the principles of democracy and the constitutions of their respective countries.
Osinbajo, who leaves Abuja early on Sunday, would be joined by the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Zubairu Dada, and is expected back in Abuja later the same day.