Osinbajo joins other leaders at ECOWAS extraordinary summit on political situation in Mali

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, SAN, has joined other leaders in Accra, Ghana, for an Extraordinary Summit of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government on the political situation in Mali and other parts of West African sub-region.

The ECOWAS leaders at the summit are expected 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 of Nigeria,  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 takeover of governments in Mali, Guinea and Burkina Faso, imposed 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.

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

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