The Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, has called for stricter measures taken against nations where military takes over government by force.
He made the call on Wednesday at a virtual Extraordinary Session of the Authority of Heads of State and Government of ECOWAS member-states on the political developments in the Republics of Guinea and Mali.
According to the Vice President who represented President Muhammadu Buhari at the meeting, one of such stricter measures that could be taken would be a suspension from the international community.
Could we, for example, work out an understanding with the UN, AU, Commonwealth and possibly, even the development finance institutions we are a part of to act in unity to suspend a country where there has been a seizure of power from all these bodies simultaneously?” he asked.
Professor Osinbajo believes such a measure will prevent subsequent coups d’etat in the sub-region, and even on the continent.
The meeting, attended by 10 of the ECOWAS leaders, alongside others, including representatives from the United Nations, comes after Guinean President, Alpha Conde, was ousted by a coup d’etat in the West African country on September 5.
This culminated in his arrest and detention by the country’s military junta, as well as the dissolution of the Guinean government and suspension of the Constitution.
