In a decisive move, the Nigerian Senate has rejected President Bola Tinubu’s request for military intervention in the Republic of Niger.
As the chairman of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Tinubu had written to the National Assembly seeking support for deploying military force in Niger following the recent coup that ousted President Mohamed Bazoum.
Tinubu’s letter mentioned that the military intervention was one of the conclusions reached at a Sunday meeting in Abuja. ECOWAS had issued an ultimatum, giving Niger one week to reinstate Bazoum or face harsher sanctions.
The regional body had already imposed sanctions on the coup leaders, and Nigeria had taken further measures by cutting off electricity supplies and closing its borders with Niger.
After a closed-door session on Saturday, Senate President Godswill Akpabio read the resolutions of the Senate, which strongly condemned the coup while commending Tinubu and other heads of state for their swift response and firm stances on the situation.
Akpabio clarified that the Senate recognized Tinubu’s letter as a request for the assembly’s support in implementing the resolutions of ECOWAS, not a request for approval to go to war, as some had misunderstood.
The Senate, therefore, advised Tinubu to encourage other ECOWAS leaders to explore diplomatic options in addressing the situation in Niger.
“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 intending to resolve the political impasse in Niger Republic,” Akpabio stated.
He also added that the leadership of the Senate is mandated to engage further with the President on resolving the issue, considering the existing cordial relationship between Nigeriens and Nigerians.
In conclusion, the Senate urged the ECOWAS Parliament to join in condemning the coup and actively seek solutions to resolve the crisis as soon as possible. The rejection of military intervention underscores the Senate’s commitment to diplomatic efforts to restore democratic governance in Niger.
