Niger coup: Tinubu gathers ECOWAS leaders in Abuja

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is currently presiding over a special Extraordinary Session of the Authority of Heads of State and Government of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

The meeting holds at the behest of the Chairman of the regional body, President Tinubu, after the coup d’etat in the Republic of Niger, which has upset the constitutional political leadership in the West Africa country.

There have been widespread condemnation of the military coup in the West African country from the U.S, the EU , the UN, the AU and ECOWAS.

The Commander of Niger’s Presidential Guards, General Abdourahamane Tchiani, on Friday, declared himself the Head of a Transitional Government after his soldiers took President Mohamed Bazoum into custody on Wednesday.

Among leaders of members-states who were at the State House Conference Center, as at the time of filing this report are President Umaro Sissoco Embalo of Guinea-Bissau, Alassane Ouattara of Cote D’Ivoire and Faure Gnassingbe of Togo.

Others are Presidents Macky Sall of Senegal, Patrice Talon of Benin, Nana Akufo-Addo of Ghana, while Cape Varde and Liberia are being represented by the Foreign Affairs Ministers.

Transitional President of Chad, Mahamat Deby, made an early appearance and departed before the meeting was declared open.