As an affiliate of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), we join the Federal government, the Africa Union, the street protesters in Egyptian cities and the democratic forces worldwide to condemn the undemocratic removal of Egypt’s democratically elected President, Mohammed Morsi from office by the military and subsequent imposition of an unelected and probably unelectable interim President Adly Mansour.

The Egypt’s military must respect the sanctity of democratic tenure and return Egypt to democracy under the constitutionally elected President. Progressive world would hold the Egyptian military responsible for  any avoidable deaths and casualties in Egypt following protests and deadly street battles occasioned by their meddlesomeness in power.

Both African electorates and elected leaders must respect democracy and constitutionalism even when we have problems and challenges with democratic process.    President Morsi was accused of trying to exceed his democratic mandate through dictatorial tendency. However the solution is to democratically remove him not for opportunistic military to return us to the dark and discredited days of Hosni Mubarak and military dictatorship.

The African continent has made remarkable progress in fostering democratic governance after wasted years of military dictatorship and attendant underdevelopment. The challenge is to deepen democracy in the continent and not to reverse it. The Egyptian military lives in the past if it refuses to accept the truth that nobody dares to rule Africa again without a democratic mandate.

We therefore support the Egyptian protesters calling for the return of President Morsi to office and commend them for their abiding faith in democracy. We join the global calls for the immediate restoration of the democracy order in Egypt and urge the Egyptian Armed Forces to allow the democratic culture to thrive in the country.

Issa Aremu mni