Why you must respect democracy, rule of law — Pres. Tinubu to African leaders

President Bola Tinubu has appealed to African leaders to respect democracy and rule of law in a bid to ensure political stability in the continent.

President made this appeal on Saturday, July 15, while speaking at a high-level event organized by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) on the margins of Fifth Mid-Year African Union (AU) Coordination Meeting in Nairobi, Kenya.

Represented by Adamu Lamuwa, permanent secretary of the ministry of foreign affairs, the chairman of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) said “deliberate” measures must be taken to put a stop to military interruption of democratic governments.

“This u¥ly trend has only succeeded in thr£atening the peace, security and stability of the sub-region and by extension the African continent, leaving in its trail poverty, internally-displaced persons and humanitarian cri§is.

In the same vein, this u¥ly trend has also led to food shortages and escalated health challenges. ‘We therefore must take deliberate steps to address the root causes of unconstitutional changes and coups d’état in Africa.

As a continent, we cannot make progress toward achieving the goals and targets of the UN Agenda 2030 for sustainable development, as well as those of AU Agenda 2063 for the ‘Africa We Want’.

Between 2020 and now, Africa has witnessed six successful coups d’état and three unsuccessful attempts. This rise in military takeovers and unconstitutional changes in government disrupts our democratic processes and undermines stability on the continent.

It is for this reason that I call on all African leaders at all levels to make concerted efforts in respecting the tenets of democracy and the rule of law, in order to ensure political stability on the continent,” he said.