By Ayodele Oni
National President of Campaign for Democracy, (CD) Ifeanyi Odili, has said the only way to put an end to coups in the continent is for elected leaders to fulfill their electoral promises to the people.
Odili, apparently reacting to remarks by the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) that the Nigerian Military should not emulate the Gabonese army which on Wednesday overthrew President Ali Bongo, pointed out that any government in Africa which fails to make life comfortable for the people should expect reactionary reaction.
The CD leader wrote on his social media account that “No threat from anyone or group of Politicians can stop coup in Africa. The only thing that can stop military incursion in Africa is giving the people what they truly deserve.
“I mean what Politicians promised them during electioneering campaign. Give the people good governance, put food on their tables and have peace.
“You can’t be making life difficult for people and expect peace. We have disappointed Nigerians. We have betrayed the trust people had in us. There is hunger in the land occassioned by hyper inflation and poor Government policies.
“People can’t drive their cars to work, Insecurity everywhere. Is that what we promised Africans while we were agitating for democracy? The answer is NO!
“I will not join issue with you about Muslim-Muslim ticket and coup. Rather, I will suggest that any coup in Nigeria, may God forbid, is a direct consequential effect of bad governance.
“Since I became an adult, I have never seen a situation where coup was a talk of everybody.
When people insult democracy, it hurts me. They make fun of it in public places and the drunkards, fools make up songs about democracy. All these hurt me.”
The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) had advised the Nigerian military not to emulate the Gabonese army that on Wednesday overthrew President Ali Bongo in a bloodless Coup d’etat.
MURIC’s Executive Director, Prof. Ishaq Akintola, who gave the advice in a statement stated that
“While we frown upon the sit-tight syndrome adopted by the Bongo family in Gabon and some African countries, we strongly condemn this military coup. MURIC advises the Nigerian Army to remain apolitical and to resist the temptation to emulate the Gabonese army by staging any coup in Nigeria.
“Any Nigerian soldier who contemplates coup in the present dispensation is doing so for selfish reasons. It is noteworthy that the Nigerian political firmament is absolutely different from that of Gabon where the Bongo dynasty has been in power for more than 50 years.
“A military coup against the current Muslim-Muslim ticket will be interpreted as a direct attack on Muslims in the country in view of the deep religious sentiment which pervaded the controversy surrounding the Muslim-Muslim ticket.
“Any military coup in Nigeria now will carry a religious taint. Nigeria has not recovered from the one-sided anti-North coup of 15th January, 1966 staged by Igbo soldiers and the vengeful counter-coup of July 1966 staged mainly by soldiers of Northern extraction,” Akintola said.
 Ifeanyi Odili, has said the only way to put an end to coups in the continent is for elected leaders to fulfill their electoral promises to the people.){kind=link}