By Milcah Tanimu
Femi Fani-Kayode, a former Minister of Aviation, has issued a cautionary statement, predicting additional instances of coups within Francophone nations. This comes in response to the recent military takeover in Gabon.
Following President Ali Bongo’s contested third-term re-election on Saturday, army officers announced their assumption of power. These officers have declared the nullification of the election results, citing opposition rejection and labeling the process as “fraudulent.”
Fani-Kayode conveyed his thoughts on the situation via Twitter: “Regrettably, another coup has unfolded in Africa, this time affecting the nation of Gabon, where President Ali Bongo (depicted below) has been deposed. It seems that my prior essay’s warning, titled ‘Does Killing Nigerien Babies Bring Glory To Our Name?’, possessed an element of prophecy.”
He continued, “The occurrence doesn’t catch me off guard, and candidly, we should brace ourselves for further coup incidents in the West and Central African Francophone nations, aligning with the points I laid out in that essay.”
Fani-Kayode concluded with a query, “I find myself contemplating whether ECOWAS or the African Union will contemplate intervention in Gabon as well?”