GABON COUP: What Canadian PM Trudeau Told President Tinubu

The latest coup in Gabon that toppled President Ali Bongo was the focus of a telephone conversation between President Bola Tinubu and the Canadian Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau.

The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale, informed journalists about the telephone conversation on Wednesday in Abuja.

He said the two leaders’ discussion centred on the need for the promotion and protection of constitutional democratic governance on the continent.

While the conversation lasted, both leaders were said to have emphatically insisted that democratic governance remain a paramount priority.

Ngelale told reporters: “President Bola Tinubu has held a substantive and extended discussion with Canadian Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, where issues related to the crisis in Niger Republic and the unfolding situation in Gabon were discussed.

“The two heads of state mutually agreed that the promotion and protection of constitutional democratic governance on the continent remains a paramount priority and that the people of Africa living in the Diaspora around the world, making a huge impact on the sociopolitical landscapes of countries around the world and the economies of countries around the world, continue to urge the global community to advance the cause of democracy on the continent for the sake of the economic prosperity of all Africans.

“So it is of frontline importance to understand that His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, will continue to engage with heads of state, not just within the African Union, but also around the world, and those engagements are ongoing.”