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Guinea stands to be sanctioned on Friday when an extra-
ordinary session of the Economic Community of West African
States (ECOWAS) is to convene in Abuja to discuss the recent
military putsch in the country.
The sanction, which may be in the form of suspension, is in
protest against the coup and in line with the current stand
of the AU against military takeover of government on the
continent.
Nigerian Minister of Foreign Affairs Ojo Maduekwe told State
House correspondents at the end of a briefing session with
President Umaru Yar 'Adua on Monday that the extra-ordinary
session would primarily approve the suspension of Guinea.
Maduekwe said the military had no place in governance in
Africa and advised the coupists to vacate the seat of power
with immediate effect.
He said the ECOWAS understood that somebody would have to
conduct elections, and urged the military men to hand such
responsibility to civilians.
"So all they are supposed to do if there is no civil
authority to conduct the elections, then these people who
have moved in through a non-democratic process should just
conduct elections and get out of town," he said.
"We cannot have double standards on this issue, I called for
sanctions on Mauritania and my other colleague foreign
ministers agreed to that and when we came to the last AU
meeting, that decision was upheld," he said.
"You can be calling for sanctions on Mauritania and then you
are embracing government of Guinea," he said.
"We fully recognise the fact that all the cases may not be
the same, so it is only for that reason as a matter of real
politic for pragmatic reasons that you need one month, two,
three months to conduct elections, go ahead and conduct but
even the process of election does not mean we are going to
engage them as government," he said.
Maduekwe said Nigeria had no relationship with the military
regime in Guinea, adding that there will be no room for
double standard under the new AU commitment to democracy.
He said the two-year transition proposed by the junta was not
acceptable and would not be considered by the ECOWAS.
"We are looking at time frame that is just enough to conduct
elections and get out. If it requires two weeks let them
conduct the elections and get out," he added.
The minister said Nigeria would never condone coups in Africa
while condemning Senegal for recognising the junta that
carried out the coup.
He said it would be a sad day for the consolidation of
democracy in Africa if parties to the Constitutive Act and
Charter Declaration that governments not there by democracy
should not be recognized fail to uphold it.
"So if any member of AU that is of course a legitimate
government steps outside the ranks of other members to now
fraternise with the military junta, I am sure the collective
wisdom of the leadership of AU will find a way of even
sanctioning that government," he added.
"For us the issue of undermining the democratic process is
not just when a group of adventurers organise a coup and
overthrow a democratically elected government," he said.
"I believe there must be capacity within the AU to also call
that country to order. You know Africa has lost a lot as a
result of this zig zag and as a result of not working the
full path," Maduekwe said.
On the recent presidential election in Ghana, the minister
said Nigeria congratulated the country and would fully
participate in its handing over to the president-elect, John
Attah-Mills on Wednesday.
Source:Xinhua
