President Buhari Leaves For Accra, Ghana

By Ayodele Oni

President Muhammadu Buhari is due in Accra, Ghana on Sunday to attend an emergency Extraordinary Summit of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

A statement by the Special Adviser to the President  on Media and Publicity, Mr Femi Adesina on Saturday, explained that the meeting, is at the instance of the Chairman of the Authority of Heads of State and Government of ECOWAS and President of Ghana, Nana Akufo-Addo.

The host President, Akufo-Addo, was in Abuja a few days to confer with Buhari.

The Accra Summit is expected to discuss recent political developments in Mali, a member of ECOWAS.

Prior to the Extraordinary Summit, the President had met with the Special Envoy and ECOWAS mediator in Mali, former President Goodluck Jonathan, who briefed him on the latest developments in the country following his meeting with key political actors in the West African country.

As the situation in Mali continues to evolve, Nigeria had condemned the May 24 military coup, the subsequent detention of the president and prime minister by soldiers, and called for the immediate and unconditional release of all civilian officials detained.

Those expected to be on President Buhari’s entourage are Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, Minister of Defence, Maj. Gen. Bashir Salihi Magashi (Rtd), Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Otunba Richard Adebayo, and Director-General of National Intelligence Agency (NIA), Ahmed Rufai Abubakar.

The statement added that the President is expected back in Abuja at the end of the one-day Summit.