Former President Jonathan calls for unconditional release of Myanmar’s leader

Nigerian former President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, on Monday demanded the unconditional release of the President of Myanmar, Aung San Suu Kyi, who was overthrown and detained by the country’s military in a coup. Former President Jonathan, expressing his belief in democracy across the world, called for immediate restoration of democratic governance in Myanmar.

Dr. Jonathan in a tweet on his official handle declared: “I call for the unconditional release of Myanmar’s democratically elected leader, Aung San Suu Kyi. I stand in solidarity with democracy all over the world, a call for a return to constitutional order in Myanmar.”

The military had in a coup on Monday ousted Myanmar’s President, Aung San Suu Kyi, and other democratically elected leaders in the country, detaining Suu Kyi.

National Daily gathered that the military struck after weeks of conflicts between the armed forces and the government at the end of parliamentary elections which the army sponsored opposition candidate lost to the ruling party.

Following the coup, the Commander-In-Chief of Myanmar’s military, Min Aung Hlaing, took over power. The Army commander and new leader subsequently declared a one-year state of emergency.

Troops from different formations, including the Police have been patrolling several streets in major cities, while communications were restricted.

The landslide victory of Ms Suu Kyi’s party in the parliamentary election was claimed by the army to be marred by fraud.

The military has announced replacements for several of the ministers.

There is tension in the city as residents rush to the ATM machines across the cities to make hasty withdrawals as the crisis lingers.

Ms Suu Kyi, in a letter written in preparation for her detention, decried that the military actions would put the country back under a dictatorship. The ousted president told her supporters to “not accept this” and “protest the coup”.