Dr Goodluck Jonathan (left) being received by President Buhari at the State House, Abuja
Former President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Dr Goodluck Ebele Jonathan has again met President Muhammadu Buhari in Abuja on Tuesday. He was at the state house to brief Buhari on the Mali crisis.
Mr. Femi Adesina, the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity in a statement after the meeting said Dr Jonathan, who doubles as ECOWAS Special Envoy to the Republic of Mali, briefed Buhari on the political crisis in the West African country, as parts of efforts being made by West African leaders to restore stability to the country.
It would be recalled that Buhari and four other ECOWAS leaders visited Bamako, Mali, in July, after which they held a virtual extraordinary summit of the sub-regional body. Adesina said Dr Jonathan, who was in Mali from Monday to Thursday, last week, recalled details of his meetings with stakeholders, including political and religious leaders, Ambassadors of the United States, France, Russia, Germany, European Union, and other important personalities that are key to peace and cohesion in the country.
He said Jonathan told Buhari that the main opposition group, M5, continued to insist on the resignation of President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita as a catalyst to peace in the country. According to Adesina, M5’s position is unacceptable to the regional body which has insisted on only a change of power through a democratic process.
“We told them that no international organization, including the African Union (AU), United Nations (UN), and others, would agree with their position. We continued to emphasize the need for dialogue,” Jonathan reportedly said.
The statement added that the former president disclosed that a Constitutional Court had been reconstituted and inaugurated, while vacancies in the Supreme Court had been filled, and consequently resolved the issues affecting the judiciary.
It added that Buhari thanked Jonathan for what he called “the stamina you have displayed” on the crisis, and suggested the need for further consultations with the Chairman of ECOWAS, President Mahamadou Issoufou of Niger Republic.
