Festus Keyamo cautions opposition rejoicing over coup in Niger Republic

A former minister, Festus Keyamo, has stated that it is no longer fashionable to acceptable to support coup under any guise and cautioned anti-Tinubu government advocates endorsing the coup in Niger Republic.

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Recall that after days of uncertainty, the commander of country’s presidential guard claimed the leadership of the West African country Friday in a televised address after ousting Mohamed Bazoum, the country’s democratically elected president.

Gen. Abdourahmane Tchiani, who goes by the first name, Omar, said on state television Friday, “We have decided to intervene and seize our responsibilities” in asserting power over the country.

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According to Keyamo, every patriotic citizen has the right to condemn outrightly the coup and that what happened in Niger should not be compared to a disputed election.

Read his full statement below.

We all have a duty, whether as members of the Opposition or the ruling party, to outrightly reject and condemn the coup in Niger Republic.

Those who think they have scored a point by comparing the coup to their so-called narrative of a flawed election in Nigeria should know that they are cutting their noses to spite their faces. A coup does not overthrow only the President alone; a coup overthrows all levels of constitutional governments in a country, including the governments formed by the Opposition parties themselves at different levels of governments after winning elections at those levels.

In fact those who take fancy in appealing to the mob on social media to get ‘clicks and likes’ will be in jail if a coup happens and will not even have such opportunity again to speak their minds.

The earlier we realise that a coup d’etat is not a solution to disputed elections in Africa, the better for us. Almost all elections in Africa have always been disputed anyway. Whilst there are constitutional means to seek redress in a disputed election, there is no means to seek redress for a coup, because even the Constitution itself would be suspended when a coup happens.

We must learn to subject ourselves to the constitutional order of addressing disputed elections and election grievances, even when our faith in some institutions are shaky. Our President Bola Ahmed Tinubu @officialABAT, as Opposition leader, demonstrated this fine democratic attribute of fighting electoral injustice through constitutional means and not by supporting or calling for coups; and he succeeded at the end. The Opposition should be humble enough to learn from him.

IT IS NOT FASHIONABLE OR ACCEPTABLE TO SUPPORT COUPS UNDER ANY GUISE, NOT EVEN BY COMPARING THEM TO DISPUTED ELECTIONS.

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