From Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja
The Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP) has hailed former President Olusegun Obasanjo for brokering peace between the Ethiopian government and the Tigrayans.
The opposition coalition, in a statement by its spokesman, Ikenga Ugochinyere, on Thursday, described the former president as a reformer, visionary and defender of democracy in Nigeria and Africa as a whole.
It noted that Obasanjo has over the years undertaken several successful peace missions as a respected UN and African Union envoy.
The Coalition recalled that the former president played key roles in restoring peace to Sierra Leone, Liberia, Sao Tome and Principe as well as the Republic of Togo.
“The former Nigerian President who is currently the African Union High Representative for the Horn of Africa achieved this feat following concerted negotiations he led, which saw the warring groups agree to peaceful resolution of whatever their issues might be.
“It is no surprise as Chief Obasanjo has always been a peacemaker. At different fora, he had enjoined Nigerians to embrace peace and unity as a way to resolve the nation’s myriad of challenges. President Obasanjo’s interventions in these countries were influenced by realist considerations and these interventions yielded the much-anticipated go dividends.
“In 2018, President Olusegun Obasanjo through his mediation skills ensured a smooth political transition in Liberia. His intervention made it Liberia’s first peaceful transfer of power from one democratically-elected leader to another in 70 years. We at the opposition coalition congratulate him, may God continue to keep him alive and in good health for more good interventions for Africa and the world,” CUPP stated.