Eshioromeh Sebastian
Former Vice President of Nigeria, Atiku Abubakar, has issued a powerful condemnation of the recent military coup d’état in the Republic of Benin, declaring that “soldiers have no business anywhere outside their barracks.”
In a statement released on his social media handles on Sunday, Atiku described the attempted overthrow of the constitutional order as “utterly unacceptable,” warning that the recurring trend of coups in West Africa poses a grave danger to the sub-region’s democratic health.
“I condemn, without reservation and in the strongest possible terms, the coup d’état in the Benin Republic. This reckless trend of assault on constitutional order is utterly unacceptable, not only because of its dangerous proximity, but because the era of military interference in governance is long over in Africa and our sub-region”, Atiku stated.
The presidential candidate of Nigeria’s main opposition party in the last election expressed deep concern over the timing of recent coups, noting their disturbing coincidence with electoral processes.
He pointed to the events in Guinea-Bissau, where the military seized power on the eve of election results, and now Benin, which is scheduled to hold a presidential election in April 2026.
“It raises fears that some political operators may be using the military to cancel the democratic processes. This trend is dangerous for the health of democracy in the West African sub-region and must be stopped before it becomes the rule and not the exception”,Atiku asserted.
Concluding his statement with a decisive call to action, Atiku emphasized that “every decisive measure must be taken to crush any emerging appetite for subverting democracy.”
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