President Bola Tinubu is currently meeting with former President Goodluck Jonathan at the Presidential Villa in Abuja. Jonathan arrived at midday and was greeted by the president before they entered a closed-door discussion.
Although no specifics about the meeting have been released, it is likely related to his role as Special Envoy of the Economic Community of West African States, where he is heading mediation discussions even as Mali remains under military administration following the August 2020 coup that deposed President Ibrahim Keita.
The Malian military administration declared in September 2023 that it would postpone a presidential election slated for February 2024 in order to restore civilian governance.
Two rounds of voting, scheduled for February 4 and 18, have been “slightly postponed for technical reasons,” according to government spokesman Abdoulaye Maiga.
Maiga highlighted why concerns such as the adoption of a new constitution and a revision of electoral lists were included.
He also cited a dispute with Idemia, a French corporation that the government claims is involved in the census process.
“The new dates for the presidential election will be communicated later,” Maiga said in a statement.
The Economic Community of West African States slapped sanctions on Mali in January 2022, when the Asimi Goita-led junta sought to continue in power for up to five years.
In response to regional pressure, the junta committed to hold elections in February. As a result, ECOWAS dropped a series of trade and financial sanctions against Mali in July 2022.