Osinbajo off to Ghana for ECOWAS summit

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has left to represent Nigeria at an Extraordinary Summit of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government (ECOWAS) in the capital of Ghana, Accra.

According to a statement by Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Office of the Vice President, Mr Laolu Akande, the summit was convened to discuss the political situation in Mali and other parts of the sub-region.

At the summit, Osinbajo will join other leaders from West Africa to review progress made by Mali’s military junta on the return of the country to democratic rule.

The summit will receive and consider an updated report from ECOWAS Mediator in Mali, Former President Goodluck Jonathan who visited Bamako between March 18 to 20 to meet with the head of the junta. The Heads of State will also review the situations in the Republics of Burkina Faso and Guinea.

Having condemned the military take over of governments in Mali, Guinea and Burkina Faso, imposing sanctions on the military junta in those countries, ECOWAS leaders at their last meeting in February affirmed that only democratically elected governments would be recognised and supported in West Africa.

Since last year, President Muhammadu Buhari has been delegating the Vice President to represent Nigeria at a series of ECOWAS leaders’ summits on the particular issue of undemocratic, military takeover of governments in the region.

The Vice President will be accompanied by the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Ambassador Zubairu Dada; Special Adviser on Economic Matters, Dr. Adeyemi Dipeolu and other top Nigerian officials.

The VP, who departs Nigeria from Lagos, is expected back in Abuja later on Friday.