President Muhammadu Buhari says the recent trend of the unconstitutional takeover of power, sometimes in reaction to unilateral changes of constitutions by some leaders, must not be tolerated by the international community.
The Nigerian leader made the remark while addressing world leaders on Friday at the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
The Nigerian leader warned that the democratic gains of the past decades in West Africa ‘‘are now being eroded’’ due to these negative trends.
He affirmed Nigeria’s support to efforts by ECOWAS, AU and the UN to address this growing challenge, saying:
‘‘As leaders of our individual Member-States, we need to adhere to the constitutional provisions of our countries, particularly on term limits. This is one area that generates crisis and political tension in our sub-region.’’
The President urged the international community not only to deal with the symptoms of conflict but also the immediate causes that fuel conflicts in the first place.
‘‘These include poor and undemocratic governance, human rights abuses, poverty, ignorance, injustice and inequalities.
‘‘There are no easy solutions to these conditions. They require long-term investments and more effective international cooperation. In this connection, my delegation underscores the importance of promoting peaceful, unfettered, and inclusive participation of states in global actions towards conflict prevention.
‘‘This will facilitate the achievement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the African Union Agenda 2063,” he said.
The President’s speech, delivered from the podium of the General Assembly hall, addressed other matters on the international agenda of interest to Nigeria, including the COVID-19 pandemic, Arms Trade Treaty, climate change, terrorism, anti-corruption, debt suspension, international trade, UN Security Council Reform, Palestinian Question, racial discrimination, among others.
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