By BASHIR ADEFAKA
The President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s will to mobilise troops from across the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in use of force against the new military regime in Republic of Niger may have finally hit the rocks.
This is because the Senate of his own country, on Friday rejected his request to be allowed to deploy Nigerian troops in the planned military operations for the reinstatement of ousted President Mohamed Bazoum of the Francophone country that is bordering Nigeria in North West axis of Sokoto, Zamfara and Katsina.
The DEFENDER had earlier reported existence of the request by Tinubu, who is Chairman the ECOWAS bloc of the Sahel region, but was vehemently opposed by Northern Nigerian Senators, Northern Nigeria social cultural group, the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)’s Presidebtial Candidate in the February 25 election and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and, last but not the least, civil rights activist Senator Shehu Sani.
The Senate rather told the President and other leaders of the bloc to tread softly in addressing the political quagmire in the neighbouring country, instead of choosing what Shehu Sani had described as a war situation that no one knows when it will end.
The Senate, rising from a closed-door session that took them about two hours to discuss the Tinubu’s letter, on Friday, asked ECOWAS to strengthen political and diplomatic options and other means to resolve the political impass in the Niger Republic.
The Senate, while condemning the Niger coup in totality, commended the Chairman, President Bola Tinubu, and other Heads of State of the other ECOWAS member countries for their prompt response and the positions taken on the unfortunate development in the Niger Republic.
Reading the resolutions of the senators after the meeting, the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, said that “the Senate recognises 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.
“The Senate calls on the president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as the chairman of ECOWAS to further encourage other leaders of ECOWAS to strengthen political and diplomatic options and other means intended to resolve the political compass in the Niger Republic.
“The National Assembly to the ECOWAS under the leadership of President Tinubu in resolving the political situation in Niger and returning the country to democratic governance in the nearest future.
“The leadership of the Senate is mandated to further engage with the president and commander in chief on behalf of the Senate and the entire National Assembly on how best to resolve the issue given the hitherto existing cordial relationship between Nigeriens and Nigerians.
“Finally, the Senate calls on the ECOWAS parliament to rise to the occasion by equally condemning this coup and also positing solutions to resolving this compass as soon as possible.”
Some Nigerians believe that Tinubu should not allow the West push him to making decisions that will set Africans against Africans, they said no situation in the West African subregion requires the inputs of any country or continent with history of colonising the black race should be allowed to interfere.
The Vladimir Putin-led Russian Federation has also cautioned the ECOWAS leaders and their Western backers and drummers for war in the Republic of Niger to bury the thought.
This was as yet to be confirmed report said Wagner Group backed by Russia was set to deploy fighters to Niger to support the new regime in Niamey.
The Western nations have been called upon by some Africans not to make Niger their next Ukraine and Sudan.
In the meantime, the already successful military administrations in Republics of Mali, Guinea and Burkina Faso, particularly Mali and Burkina Faso, have issued a joint statement to remind ECOWAS that as the region stands now, it is divided abd warned that any military intervention in Niger will be considered as war against them.
