Barely 24 hours after Egyptian army ousted President Mohammed Morsi from office, Nigerian Government on Thursday, rejected interim leadership, insisting President Morsi must be restored.
A statement issued by Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Abuja, condemned the forceful removal of President Morsi and suspension of the country’s constitution by the army.
It described the coup as truncation of the aspiration of the people of Egypt and gross violation of the African Union Act which prohibits forceful change of government.
The statement reads in full, “The Federal Government of Nigeria has received with grave concern, news of the overthrow by the Armed Forces, of the democratically elected President of Egypt, Mr. Mohammed Morsi and the suspension of the country’s constitution.
“This is a truncation of the aspirations of the Egyptian people to freely express themselves through the ballot box.
“This unfortunate development is a gross violation of the Constitutive Act of the African Union, which prohibits unconstitutional change of government.
“It constitutes a serious setback of the remarkable progress which Africa has made in fostering the culture of democratic governance in the continent.
“Nigeria calls for the immediate restoration of the democratic order in Egypt and urges the Egyptian Armed Forces to allow the democratic culture to thrive in the country.
“Nigeria also calls on the Egyptian people to exercise utmost restraint in the peaceful pursuit of their legitimate grievances”.
