President Bola Tinubu has been cautioned by the Northern leadership, led by the Arewa Consultative Forum, against getting entangled in a confrontation with the military junta responsible for the most recent coup in Niger.
The admonition, accompanied by a call for dialogue, was related in a statement issued by the group’s General Secretary, Murtala Aliyu, on Friday.
In the lead-up to the present events, ECOWAS ordered the closure of land and air borders among its member states following a military coup d’état in Niger Republic, which ousted President Mohamed Bazoum, a democratically elected leader.
The Authority of Heads of State and Governments of ECOWAS, presided by Nigeria, has further escalated the situation by issuing a seven-day ultimatum to the military in Niger Republic, demanding the restoration of the ousted President.
Subsequently, Tinubu communicated with the Senate, requesting support for the prospect of military intervention should the Niger military junta show resistance, aiming to apprehend them and reinstate democracy in the ECOWAS nation.
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Preceding this event, ECOWAS took the decision to order the closure of land and air borders between member states in response to the military coup d’état in Niger Republic, which led to the removal of democratically elected President Mohamed Bazoum from office.
The statement partly reads, ‘ACF, however, views with concern the unfolding events in Nigeria’s immediate neighbour, the Republic of Niger, and the potential impact on the region.
‘The measures being contemplated should have taken into consideration the historical antecedents and mutual interests of the two countries and weighed the consequences of the use of military force.’
‘While the ACF recognises the ECOWAS position to bring pressure to bear on the perpetrators, nevertheless the military option shouldn’t be a prerequisite for Nigeria’s and the Community’s continuing efforts to enthrone democracy in the region in the 21st century.’
The Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) highlighted that, despite the possibility of a short-term remedy, military intervention may have adverse effects on Nigeria’s position as a leader and the regional entity.
‘To this end, ACF notes that while it supports the position to restore democratic rule in Niger, it calls on the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government under the able Chairmanship of President Bola Tinubu, that it should toe the path of dialogue and diplomacy and certainly not force, in resolving the current impasse in Niger in the interest of peaceful coexistence with our brotherly neighbour and stability of the ECOWAS region,’ it added.