Ghana is Africa’s true and first democracy – Buhari on coup claims

Nigeria’s President, Muhammadu Buhari, has hailed Ghana’s democracy as Africa’s “true and first” in the wake of coup claims in the country.

In a post on his twitter handle, Mr. Buhari said Nigeria will always stretch hands to Ghana in times of need.

The comment comes as three people are before the court for allegedly “plotting to attack Ghana’s presidency with an ultimate of destabilizing” the country.

A statement by the government said the suspects recruited some military officers in their plot.

“All Africans hold the nation of Ghana in the highest esteem as the first post-colonial country to gain independence and the first African country to hold multi-party elections by universal suffrage. Ghana is the first, true African democracy,” Mr. Buhari said.

He added that: “Nigeria and Ghana are leading partners in ECOWAS, and Transparency International, and Afro Barometer’s Africa Index 2019 attested that both countries have recorded exceptional advances in fighting corruption.

“When you take on powerful and corrupt vested interests successfully, sometimes they seek to push back. As the saying goes, ‘if you fight corruption, corruption will fight back”.

He added: “We in Nigeria hold out – as always – our hands in support and friendship to our brothers and sisters in Ghana”

Meanwhile, lawyer for the three people suspects says he expected his clients to have been charged with High treason.

According to Victor Adawudu, his expectation was premised on claims by the government that they had attempted to destabilise the state.

“Because of what was put out in the public domain that they wanted to attack the presidency, we expected to be charged with high treason,” he told Morning Starr sit-in host Lantam Papanko.