A section of the Turkish Armed Forces calling itself Peace at Home Movement, last Friday attempted a forceful change of government that cost well over 265 lives (including 161 government forces and civilians), and substantial collateral damage.

The officers cited as reason for the putsch, the need to “reinstate constitutional order, human rights and freedom, the rule of law and general security that was damaged.”

In a statement made available to News Express, Comrade Ayuba Wabba, President of the Nigeria Labour Congress, said: “We at the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) condemn this coup attempt, the reasons adduced by the officers notwithstanding. Any change or attempt to change a legitimately elected government that falls short of the recognised democratic process shall be ultra vires, null and void.

“We are, therefore, one with the Turkish Prime Minister, Binaldi Yildrim, when he said: ‘The government elected by the people remains in charge. The government will only go when the people say so.”

The statement added: “In spite of the rich coup culture of Turkey, this fact should have been obvious to the officers and men involved in this bloody coup. At the risk of contradiction, in the recent past, Turkey, whether we like it or not, has acquired a certain level of sophistication that renders anachronistic and embarrassing, coup-making as a process for regime-change. This, notwithstanding, Mr. Recep Tayyip Edorgan, the Turkish leader, at whom the coup was targeted should do a soul-search to see where he has betrayed the trust of the people who gave him the mandate to rule.

“While no one can deny him his place in history for reforms, under him there have been gross incidents of constitutional violations and human rights, as he sought to perfect his hold on power.

Similarly, Edorgan got carried away, and became disdainful of his own people. To compound his problems, he made avoidable enemies of neighbours he would have been better off without. The renewed crackdown on the PKK was the cherry on the cake in his quest for enemies. It was not going to take long before all this would come to haunt a country with legitimate ambitions as coordinated terror attacks seized it.

“In spite of this, our position remains that the people of Turkey should be given the opportunity to change the leadership, and not some soldiers acting on their behalf in self-righteousness.”

•Photo shows Comrade Wabba.