While Nigeria has taken a strong position against recent coups within the African continent, one of its famous but controversial singers, Charles Oputa, popularly called Charly Boy, took to social media to advocate a coup in the country.
Although he did not directly mention a coup in his post on social networking platform X (formerly Twitter), he said he wanted, for Nigeria, what happened in four African countries that recently experienced coups.
“Oh lord how can we be praying in Nigeria and you are answering prayers in Gabon, Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali.”
The four countries Charly Boy mentioned recently experienced coups with that of Niger and Gabon happening in the last two months. All four are now governed by soldiers.
Although Charly Boy did not state his motive for praying for a coup in Nigeria, he actively supported opposition candidate Peter Obi in the February presidential election won by Bola Tinubu of the ruling party. Mr Tinubu has been sworn in as president although Mr Obi is still challenging the result of the election in court as allowed by law.
Nigeria has experienced its fair share of military rule and only returned to civilian rule in 1999. Military rule in Nigeria was characterised by draconian rules and decrees, repression and forced disappearances amongst others.
Last Wednesday, senior military officers in Gabon announced that they had taken over the government because elections held in the Central African country on Saturday were not credible.
The putschists immediately announced a transition leader, General Brice Nguema, leader of Gabon’s elite Republican Guard, who was in charge of the president’s security.
Gabon was last week suspended by the African Union from all its activities due to the coup.
In July, presidential guards in Niger toppled the democratically elected president, Mohamed Bazoum, citing security and economic reasons.
ECOWAS imposed sanctions and threatened the use of force should the soldiers not reinstate Mr Bazoum. A position putschists in Niger refuse to yield to.
The African Union also suspended Niger from all its activities.
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