A former deputy national publicity secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Comrade Timi Frank, on Wednesday, strongly condemned the President of Senegal, Macky Sall, over his unilateral and illegal postponement of his country’s scheduled presidential election.
Sall had indefinitely postponed the Senegal’s presidential election that was scheduled to take place on February 25.
Curiously, Senegal’s National Assembly has accepted the shift and passed a bill that fixed a new date for December 15.
But, Frank, in a statement in Abuja on Wednesday, described Sall’s action as a coup against the constitution of Senegal, which Sall swore to uphold.
He described the action as undemocratic, dictatorial, unjust and unfair to the people of Senegal and democracy in the West African subregion.
He said Sall has sown the seed capable of breeding discontent, political instability and coup in Senegal and “the earlier he retraces his steps the better.”
He insisted that President Sall in cahoots with the National Assembly of Senegal has through the action illegally extended his tenure of office through the back door.
He said that Sall has shown that he was not keen on keeping his promise not to seek another term in office.
Frank said: “The restriction of mobile internet access and the suppression and persecution of the media through licence revocation in the country are tell tale signs that Sall has become corrupt and absolutely dictatorial.
“This is a rape of democracy and a deliberate denigration of the country’s constitution in an unprecedented manner.
“Already the parliament has rubber-stamped Sall’s decision after a chaotic voting process where opposition lawmakers were forcefully booted out of chamber by government security forces.
“One of the provisions of the election delay bill, adopted by the National Assembly, means that Sall’s tenure — due to end on April 2 — will be extended until the new election is held on December 15.
“This amounts to illegal tenure elongation for Sall who promised in July last year that he will not seek another term in office.”
Frank, who is the United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP) Ambassador to East Africa and Middle East, called on the authorities of Heads of States and government of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to urgently intervene to ensure that Senegal’s election timetable is strictly adhered to and Sall’s bid to elongate his tenure annulled.
“This is the time for the Chairman of ECOWAS and President of Nigeria, President Bola Tinubu, to lead a delegation of sister presidents and respected leaders in the subregion to Dakar to prevail on Sall to respect Senegal’s constitution by reversing his unilateral and illegal decision to postponement presidential election indefinitely.
“Sall must not be allowed to plunge the country into needless crisis or to lay foundation for a possible forceful takeover of power by the country’s armed forces.
“The coups in Mail, Burkina Faso and Niger and the recent action of pullout from ECOWAS by Juntas in those countries should serve as a lesson and warning to ECOWAS leaders over what might happen if Sall is allowed to succeed with his criminal greed and corruption to hang on to power,” Frank said.
The Nigerian activist called on the governments of the United Kingdom, United States of America and the European Union to place a visa ban on Sall over his attempt to derail democracy in Senegal should he refuse to revert to the initial February 25 presidential election date.
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