As opposition parties continue with the struggle at the Presidential Election Tribunal to reclaim the mandate they believe was given to them by the electorates on February 25, 2023, the French Government has said that it will not interfere in the internal democracy of the country.
Making this clarification in Lagos Thursday was the French Minister of State for Development, Francophonie and International Partnerships, Dr. Chrysoula Zacharopoulou at an interactive session with journalists.
The minister who was in Abuja on Monday May 29, 2023 at the inauguration of Asiwaju Bola Tinubu as the 16th President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria was in Lagos as part of her visit to Nigeria to inaugurate the Lagos chapter of the freshly launched French Tech Community in Nigeria.
She stressed that France cannot do anything concerning democracy in Nigeria or how the people decide to run it because, according to her, the country has the right to practice democracy the best way it deems fit as “it is not in our (France) power to say what each country has to do”.
“We are not here to give lessons to nobody, each country has its own way to democracy in line with its history”, she stressed, adding that “it was an amazing experience to see two presidents, the outgoing and the incoming together with respect, it was to me a very big example of how democracy should be practised”.
On what she thinks was President Tinubu’s mission to France after the February election, Dr. Zacharopoulou retorted “I think you have to ask President Tinubu that question when you see him. I have no knowledge of his personal agenda in France”.
On what France is doing to help Nigeria with insecurity considering that the country is surrendered by Francophone countries, the Minister said that France has cooperation with Nigeria as well as other African countries on the fight against terrorism and it is their hope that it is strengthened.
“The vision of President Macron is to help African countries build their local capacity on how to curtail insecurity, we are here to support if they want. The fight against terrorism is not a fight of one country, we support as the European Union, we offer training and also supply equipment”, she stressed.
