Nov. 7, 2021

President Muhammadu Buhari would be represented by his deputy, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, SAN, at an Extraordinary Summit of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government today in Accra, Ghana on the political situation in the Republics of Guinea and Mali.

Today’s Extraordinary meeting, 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.

Prof. Osinbajo had participated at the 2nd ECOWAS Extraordinary Summit on the political situation in Guinea and Mali held on 16th September in Accra, Ghana. Before that, he also attended a virtual ECOWAS Extraordinary Summit held on 8th September 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 Prof. 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, Prof Osinbajo proposed punitive measures and proactive preventive steps towards addressing military intervention in civil rule in the region, which includes that the United Nations (UN), African Union (AU), 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.

Vice President Osinbajo, who leaves Abuja this morning, would be joined by the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Zubairu Dada, and is expected back in Abuja later today.