Niger Coup: Senate, Others Reject Military Option

As the deadline given by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to military junta in the Republic of Niger to reinstate the ousted President, Mohammed Bazoum, expired yesterday, many Nigerians and social-political organisations have warned against military invasion of Niger.
Members of the Economic Community of West African States, Authority of Heads of State and Government, penultimate Sunday, issued a seven-day ultimatum to the Nigerien military to restore constitutional order and reinstate Bazoum into office. The ultimatum expired yesterday.
The Nigerian Senate in a stormy session on Saturday rejected the military option in handling the Niger political crisis.
The Senate advised President Bola Tinubu, who is also the Chairman of ECOWAS, to explore diplomatic and political options to address the issue of the coup in Niger Republic.
The Senate, in a resolution read by his president, Godswill Akpabio, after a two-hour closed-door session, also explained that the President did not ask the upper legislative chamber to approve that the “country should go to war.”
Tinubu had, in a letter to the Senate last Friday, intimated the lawmakers of the development in Niger and sought their support on the deployment of military personnel to Niger Republic.
He also sought the backing of the legislature on the cutting off of electricity supply to the neighbouring country.
The Senate, however, in its resolutions on Saturday, “Called on the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, who is also the chairman of ECOWAS, to further encourage other leaders of ECOWAS to strengthen political and diplomatic options and other means with a view to resolving the political impasse in Niger Republic.
“The National Assembly also advised ECOWAS under the leadership of President Tinubu to resolve the political situation in Niger and return the country to democratic governance in the near future.”
It also added that “the leadership of the Senate is mandated to further engage with the President, who is also the Commander-in-Chief, on behalf of the Senate and the entire National Assembly on how best to resolve the issue in view of the hitherto existing cordial relationship between Nigeriens and Nigerians.”
The Senate also called on the ECOWAS parliament to “rise to the occasion by equally condemning this coup and also proffer solutions to resolving this impasse as soon as possible.”
The Red Chamber commended Tinubu and other Heads of State of the other states of ECOWAS for their prompt response and the positions taken on the development in the Niger Republic.
Akpabio also clarified that, “President Tinubu via his correspondence has not asked for the approval of the parliament of this Senate to go to war as erroneously suggested in some quarters.
“Rather, Mr President has expressed a wish to respectfully solicit the support of the National Assembly in the successful implementation of the resolutions of the ECOWAS as outlined in the said communication”.
Also, State governors elected on the platform of the main opposition party in Nigeria, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) also cautioned President Tinubu against embarking on any military intervention in Niger Republic over the coup.
The chairman of the PDP Governors Forum and Governor of Bauchi State, Bala Mohammed, gave the warning while reading the communiqué of the meeting of the governors elected under the party, last Friday.
The meeting was attended by the party’s presidential candidate for the 2023 election, Atiku Abubakar, and other stakeholders.
The PDP governors said, “The meeting advised the President, Commander in Chief and the Government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria not to go into any form of war with the Republic of Niger over the recent military coup in the country, rather all tools of dialogue and diplomacy should be further employed”.
Meanwhile, the Jama’atu Nasril Islam, on Saturday, warned Nigeria and ECOWAS not to take military action against the junta in the Niger Republic.
The caution is contained in a statement issued in Kaduna by JNI Secretary General, Prof Khalid Aliyu.
Aliyu said that the JNI, representing the collective voice of the Muslim community, expressed its deep concern over the seizure of power through a coup from the democratically elected President.
The JNI commended the efforts so far undertaken by the Nigerian government, particularly the initiation of a dialogue process, aimed at resolving the crisis in Niger Republic.
“While this attempt may not have yielded the desired results, it demonstrates Nigeria’s commitment to peaceful resolutions.
“We acknowledge that dialogue is an invaluable tool in preventing further bloodshed and instability within the Sahel Region, which has many political and security uncertainties.
“Nevertheless, we wish to raise a word of caution against pursuing military action as a means to restore democracy,” he said.
According to Aliyu, the interlaced landscape of the northern states of Nigeria and the Niger Republic necessitates a more cautious and thoughtful action and approach.
He explained that with several Nigerian states sharing borders with Niger Republic, military intervention could have unintended consequences that might impact the peace and stability of both nations.
Aliyu called upon all stakeholders to give concentrate on a diplomatic and political resolution to the crisis in Niger Republic.
“We believe strongly that dialogue, cooperation and negotiation are the most effective means to establish lasting peace and stability in the region,” he said.
He said it was equally essential that the international community, including ECOWAS, continue to engage the junta in peaceful diplomatic discussions aimed at resolving the problem.
He called on Nigerians to turn to God in prayers, seeking His merciful intervention and to guide the country’s leaders toward taking wise decisions and a peaceful resolution of the crisis in the Niger Republic.