Sanusi Meets Niger Military Junta Ahead ECOWAS Leaders Meeting

Ahead of the reconvened meeting of ECOWAS leaders scheduled to take place on Thursday, August 10 in Abuja over the military overthrow of the democratically elected government in Niger Republic, the former Emir of Kano, Alhaji Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, has met with the coup leaders in the West African country.
The former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and 14th Emir of Kano met the military leadership after the junta aborted a meeting with representatives of the African Union (AU), Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and a top US diplomat.
A delegation raised by ECOWAS could not broker peace with the military rulers as they declined a meeting.
But on Wednesday, footages of Sanusi, whose Tijjaniya sect has a large following in Niger, went into circulation.
Sanusi is the Khalifa of the sect in Nigeria.
The revered Nigerian economist met the Junta leaders in company of the Sultan of Damagaran.
Damagaran is the third largest city in Niger.
The Tide source gathered that Sanusi went there to open the door for negotiation with the junta.
One of the sources said, “His Highness took the trip in his personal capacity but with the knowledge of President Bola Tinubu following his concerns about the impasse and the likely consequences it is already having on Nigeria/Niger relations and the citizens of the two countries.”
The meeting comes a day before the gathering of ECOWAS leaders in Abuja.
President Bola Tinubu, who is the Chairman of ECOWAS, had scheduled a meeting for Thursday after the 7-day ultimatum that the regional bloc issued for the reinstatement of President Mohamed Bazoum elapsed.
ECOWAS had slammed sanctions on Niger and threatened possible military action, a move that was widely rejected, especially in Nigeria.