A former Governor of Ekiti State and a chieftain of the People Democratic Party (PDP), Ayodele Fayose, has said he is very happy with the military coup in Gabon.
Truetells Nigeria reported that senior military officers, on Wednesday, seized power in the oil-rich Central African nation and ousted the democratic President, Ali Bongo.
The senior military officers in Gabon who executed the coup cancelled the just concluded general elections in Gabon, which re-elected President Bongo.
They alleged irregularities during the election, hence the need for them to take over ‘in the interest of the Gabon people’.
In an interview on Channels Television’s Hard Copy on Friday, Fayose said the military coup in Gabon was needed due to President Bongo’s long stay in office.
The former Ekiti governor stated while he does not like military incursion in politics, he blamed sit-tight syndrome for the recent wave of coups on the continent.
He said: “I’m very happy with what happened in Gabon. I’m not happy with military incursions in politics. But I want to say to you that Nigeria is different from Gabon.
“In a country where one man is spending 30, 40 years, they must boot him out of the place.”
Speaking further, Fayose does not see such happening in Nigeria despite the shortcomings in the country’s democratic journey.
He said: “Remember that, now in Nigeria, you can see an interrupted democratic process. You can see that we know after four years there will be an election. Nigeria has gone from one party to another party, one person to another person in the space of time.
“But in a country where one man is spending 30 years, 20 years, 40 years, they must boot him out of the place, whichever way. That’s different from Nigeria’s setting.
“You can’t spend more than a particular number of years but don’t compare it with Nigeria. I’m not saying anything cannot happen – no coup.
“When you talk here, they will go and report you. They will come and carry you in the house because, the moment you hear about a coup and you do not report it – let me say to you, you deserve to be killed.”
Buttressing his point, Fayose compared the oil-rich nation’s population to that of Nigeria, saying “Nigeria has a 200 million population, Gabon is 2.5 million, Ekiti is even more than Gabon”
See the video below.
Meanwhile, soldiers in Gabon who executed the military coup that removed President Ali Bongo from power have named General Brice Oligui Nguema as the country’s ‘Transitional President.’
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