CUPP Condemns Coup D’etat In Niger Republic …Calls For Quick Restoration Of Democracy
IN a strongly worded Press Release, the Coalition of United Political Parties, CUPP, has condemned the coup in Niger Republic calling it “a retrogressive aberration that is inexcusable and absolutely unacceptable in 21st century Africa”.
CUPP, through Comrade Mark Adebayo, its Co-National Spokesperson in a Press Release he signed stated that “The news of the coup d’état in Niger Republic came not only as a surprise but also a development that can only be described as a retrogressive aberration which is inexcusable and absolutely unacceptable in 21st century Africa.
“Democracy as a system of civilized governance is certainly not perfect, especially in Africa, but it is the only form of government in which the people have a feeling of inclusion in how they are governed and who governs them. You cannot have a situation in which people are governed at gunpoint. That is tantamount to an armed robbery of the citizens’ rights. A military junta silences the people and suffocates the franchise of choice in every way possible.
“It maybe true that democracy in Africa is mostly not being properly managed, but a military takeover of government is not in anyway a solution to the challenges of democracy in Africa. With the benefit of historical hindsight, this is even more so as the military have hardly been any better than the civilians they overthrow. Military governments in Africa have tended to be as corrupt, if not more corrupt and oppressive than the civilians they’ve overthrown. In the exhange of political fire between the military and civilian political elites in any given African country, the citizens have always been the victims and often worse off than the previous experience.
“The euphoria of a violent change of government rapidly evaporates in the face of the realities of jackboot repression characteristic of every military government. We unequivocally condemn this military intervention in Niger Republic and call on the African Union, the Economic Community of West Africa, ECOWAS, and the international community to collectively find an amicable resolution of the crisis in Niger Republic and work towards restoring democracy in the country without collateral damage as soonas practicable. A military action should not be put on the table yet, but a robust diplomatic engagement that can bring all the parties together for a quick and amicable solution with the ultimate aim of restoring democracy to the country.
“One of the major causes of military coups in Africa has consistently been bad governance by civilians elected to serve the people but who end up looting their countries’ resources and impoverishing the citizens thereby attracting high resentment from the populace. That’s why the people celebrate coups even though they don’t know what awaits them from the soldiers. Therefore, the managers of the surviving democracies in Africa must make the the people’s welfare the fundamental cynosure of their policies, otherwise they will crash the system and the people would have no choice than to support a military takeover. Bad and corrupt governance by civilians easily provokes military interventions. We call on African politicians to change their ways from the wicked mismanagement of the people’s mandates and their countries’ resources because that’s the only sure way to prevent more coups”, the statement concluded
