President Muhammadu Buhari.
President Muhammadu Buhari has sent a Special Envoy to Mali to interface in the political situation in the county. The delegation was led by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama and President of the ECOWAS Commission Jean-Claude Brou. Sarah Sanda, the Special Assistant on Media to Foreign Affairs Minister, made this known in a statement on Sunday in Abuja. She said the delegation was in Mali ahead of the country parliamentary elections. The elections had initially been slated for Oct. 28, but they were postponed by the government to Nov. 25, followed by a further vote on Dec. 16 in constituencies where no candidate wins outright. According to Sanda, the team on arrival in Bamako met with Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary General Mahamat Saleh Annadit. The delegation, she said, met with the Representatives of the African Union and European Union, as well as Ambassadors of France and The Netherlands. According yo her, the delegation also met with the main opposition leader and Presidential Candidate Soumaila Cisse, who lost to incumbent President Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta in a second-round runoff vote held on August 12. The delegation also met with Malian Prime Minister Soumeylou Boubèye Maïga, and President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita with some Cabinet Ministers in attendance. She said that Onyeama delivered President Buhari message to all the stakeholders in all the meetings. According to her, Onyeama said that Buhari as Chairman of ECOWAS called on Malian authorities to ensure “inclusivity in nation building and politics” as the country prepares for parliamentary elections. Onyeama said that Buhari’s message was very well received as they have a lot of respect for him and want him to play a role in shepherding the country forward.