Ekweremadu, Frank Condemn Guinea’s Coup, Want Conde Reinstated

By Deji Elumoye

Former Speaker of the Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS Parliament, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, and former Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Comrade Timi Frank, have condemned in strong terms the weekend coup in the Republic of Guinea.
The duo in separate statements canvassed for the reinstatement of ousted President Alpha Conde.
On his part, Ekweremadu while condemning the military coup d’état in the Republic of Guinea, which ousted President Alpha Conde, described it as a “huge setback for democracy in West Africa that must not be allowed to stand”.
The former Deputy President of the Senate said while leaders must work hard to enhance democratic governance and freedoms in the sub region, experience clearly showed that unconstitutional change of government had never been the answer either.
Ekweremadu, who chaired the ECOWAS Parliament’s Ad Hoc Committee on the Political Situation in Niger Republic and Republic of Guinea in 2009, called on ECOWAS leaders and the international community to apply the necessary pressure on the coup leaders to immediately release and restore President Conde to power.
“The coup in Guinea Conakry is yet another sad commentary on democracy, and the quest for political stability and economic prosperity in the West Africa.
“It is condemnable, unacceptable, and must never be condoned. Capture of power by unconstitutional means is against the letters and spirit of the ECOWAS Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance as well as the provisions of the African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance.
“So much sacrifices have been made to entrench democracy as a permanent means of governance in the sub-region and military officers in every part thereof must be made to understand that any attempt to scuttle it will always be met with rigid opposition by the leaders and peoples of the Community.
“Therefore, this is a call on the ECOWAS leaders and members of the international community to stand up to the coup plotters to ensure that they reinstate President Alpha Conde immediately”, he said.
The ranking Senator, however, called for more political freedoms, strict observance of the rule of law, better management of diversity, and preservation of the sanctity of the ballot box to detoxify the democratic environment, weeding it of every factor that makes coup making attractive.
“I must admit that our leaders must also strive and committedly bring to an end a culture of political impunity, winner-takes-all, sit-tight syndrome, and exclusionist tendencies in order to establish a egalitarianism, culture of democratic freedoms, rule of law, transparency, accountability, sanctity of ballot box, respect for term limits to ensure that democracy and its blessings endure in all of West Africa”, Ekweremadu said.
Also reacting, the ex-Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the APC), Timi Frank, condemned a military coup in Guinea, even as he called on the people to remain calm while urging the Guinean military to immediately restore constitutional order.
He enjoined them to either swear-in the candidate who came second in the Guinean presidential election in October 2020 as the as President or conduct a fresh elections within three to six months to enable the people freely determine who should rule them through the ballot.
Frank said while he can never support a military coup anywhere in the world, it is almost glaring that the anti-democratic and sit-tight tendencies of some African leaders has led to a resurgence in coup d’etat in several countries in the continent.
He berated leaders of the African Union (AU) and the Economic Community of West African States for aiding some heads of national governments to trample on the rights of their people and to disregard the rule of law and democracy.
“For example, when President Alpha Conde fraudulently orchestrated an amendment to the Constitution of Guinea to enable him have a third term in office, AU and ECOWAS leaders supported him because he was one of their own.
“I dare say that the change in the constitution to enable Conde to rule interminably is a direct function of the present army insurrection in that country.
“I also want to say that why coups are no longer desirable, any African leader that refuses to stick to the Constitution or allow members of the opposition a breathing space will henceforth have the nation’s military to contend with,” Frank said.
He reminded AU leaders of what earlier happened in Mali that led to a military take over of that country following a maneuver by the former President to fraudulently elongate his tenure through constitutional amendment.
“For example, what moral right has General Muhammadu Buhari and the Nigerian Government to condemn the coup in Guinean when the poverty, insecurity and corruption under the present administration in Nigeria is worse than the situation in Guinea?
“What did they say when Alpha Condé, through his puppets in the Guinean parliament, changed the Constitution to allow him a third term in office?” he asked.