Egypt: Nigeria condemns coup, calls for immediate restoration of President Morsi

The Nigerian Government has condemned in strong terms the palace coup that ousted President Mohammed Morsi from office, describing it as truncation of the aspiration of the people of Egypt.
Consequently, it called for the immediate restoration of the democratically elected President Morsi, urging Egyptians to exercise utmost restraint in the pursuit of legitimate demands.
A statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Thursday reads: “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.”