New President meets opposition in Nigeria to discuss government of national unity

Togo's new president, Faure Gnassingbe, met with opposition leaders in Nigeria on Thursday under the watchful eye of several other West African leaders to negotiate the formation of a government of national unity to implement overdue political reforms. The meeting in the federal capital Abuja was hosted by Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, the current chairman of the African Union. The heads of state of Ghana, Benin, Burkina Faso, Niger and Gabon were also present to help Togo resolve a political crisis that erupted into violence following the 24 April presidential elections. The poll brought Gnassingbe to power with a large majority despite opposition howls of fraud. “We are here to know what you, Togolese, want us to do to help you and to be witnesses of what you want for yourselves and the welfare of your country,” Obasanjo said at the opening ceremony. The elections ratified a controversial father-to-son succession. Gnassingbe took on the mantle of his late father, Gnassingbe Eyadema, who ruled Togo with an iron hand for 38 years, showing little tolerance for opposition or criticism. The government's announcement that Gnassingbe had beaten a united opposition candidate with just over 60 percent of the vote triggered opposition street protests that were harshly repressed by the security forces. Diplomats estimated that around around 100 people were killed in the ensuing violence, but one local human rights group said the death toll was nearer 800. Over 31,000 frightened refugees poured across the border into Ghana and Benin to escape persecution by the security forces. Exiled opposition leader Gilchrist Olympio, who was barred from standing in the presidential election, said on arrival in Abuja for Thursday's talks that he did not accept Gnassingbe as the legitimate winner. “What we are saying is that the person who says he is the winner is not the winner,” he told reporters. “So he cannot have any legitimacy to form a government. We have to find out who the winner is, then, we find out what type of government to form,” Olympio said. Emmanuel Bob-Akitani, the deputy leader of Olympio's Union of Forces for Change (UFC) party, who stood against Gnassingbe in the election on behalf of an alliance of six opposition parties, was scheduled to attend the talks. However, the septegenarian suffered serious health complications and had to be flown to a Paris hospital on Thursday night. UN officials told IRIN on Wednesday that the opposition want representation in government - including the position of prime minister as well as a complete revamp of the electoral laws. The Abuja talks were attended by Presidents John Kufuor of Ghana and Mathieu Kerekou of Benin, whose governments have had to cope with the outpouring of refugees from Togo. President Mamadou Tandja of Niger, the current chairman of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) which forced the government of Togo to hold a presidential election to legitimise Gnassingbe's succession to his father's throne, was also present. Other heads of state in attendance were President Blaise Compoare of Burkina Faso, Togo's northern neighbour,and President Omar Bongo of Gabon, a close adviser of Gnassingbe, who assumed the title of Africa's longest serving leader following Eyadema's death in office in February. This meeting was Obasanjo's second attempt to force Gnassingbe and the Togolese into political compromise. The Nigerian leader had earlier summoned Gnassingbe and Olympio on 25 April, before the results of the presidential election were announced, to try to persuade them to form a government of national unity whatever the result of the poll.