Pascal Arogorn Ibe
President Muhammadu Buhari Tuesday received
his immediate predecessor in office, Dr Goodluck
Jonathan, at State House, Abuja.
Jonathan,who is ECOWAS Special Envoy to
the Republic of Mali, briefed on the political
situation in the West African country, as corollary
to efforts by West African leaders to restore
stability to the country.
President Buhari and four other ECOWAS leaders
had visited Bamako, Mali, last month, followed by
a virtual extraordinary summit of the sub-regional
body.
Jonathan, who was in Mali from Monday to
Thursday, last week, recounted his meetings with
the stakeholders, including political and religious
leaders, Ambassadors of US, France, Russia,
Germany, European Union, and other important
personalities key to peace and cohesion in the
country.
The main opposition group, M5, he said,
continued to insist on the resignation of
President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, a position not
acceptable to ECOWAS, which insisted only on
democratic process in change of power within its
jurisdiction.
“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,” former President Jonathan stressed.
He added that the Constitutional Court had been
reconstituted and inaugurated, while vacancies in
the Supreme Court had been filled, thus sorting
out the judicial arm of government.
President Buhari thanked Dr Jonathan for what
he called “the stamina you have displayed” on
the Mali issue, and counseled further
consultations with the Chairman of ECOWAS,
President Mahamadou Issoufou of Niger
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