President Muhammadu Buhari has called for calm in Zimbabwe and respect for the country's constitution. The call was made in a statement issued on Friday by Mr. Femi Adesina, the President's spokesman. According to the statement, President Buhari is urging all political and military stakeholders in Zimbabwe to avoid any action that may spark conflict in the country and misery in the Southern Africa region in general.
“Every attempt must be made to resolve all contentious issues by constitutional means in Zimbabwe to save the country from avoidable political instability,” the statement quoted the President as saying. President Buhari's appeal was a response to the reported “military takeover” arising from as political tension in Zimbabwe. This followed President Robert Mugabe’s recent removal of his deputy, Mr. Emmerson Mnangagwa.
The development led to a threat by the head of the Zimbabwean Armed Forces, General Constantino Chiwenga, that “the military will not hesitate to step in” when the issue had to do with protecting the “revolution”.
