Atiku cautions ECOWAS to avoid military hostilities in Niger

According to Atiku, deploying military hostilities may make things worse.

Atiku Abubakar, a former vice president of Nigeria, has cautioned the Economic Community of West Africa (ECOWAS) from using military hostilities to resolve the Niger Republic’s leadership problem.

Following coups in neighbouring Mali and Burkina Faso, President Mohamed Bazoum was deposed on July 26 by his own guard in the third putsch in the region in as many years.

Following the coup in Niger, the regional body had threatened military action.

Atiku, though, criticised the strategy in a tweet on Thursday night, claiming that deploying military actions may make the situation worse. He contends that the situation calls for diplomatic efforts, which implies that open lines of communication are essential.

According to him, the military involvement in the Republic of Niger has heightened tension in the West African region and brought our neighbouring country international attention.

The putsch is even more concerning because more states in the subregion have experienced military intervention over the past three years.

However, Atiku praised Nigeria and ECOWAS for taking the initiative to address the problem thus far.

The world naturally expects Nigeria to assume a leadership role in ensuring that the political leadership crisis in the Republic of Niger is not only curbed but also that democratic governance is restored there.

“While the expectations that fall on Nigeria as the sub-regional leader is not a quick fix, it must be expressed that the role taken so far by the Economic Community of West African States has been commendable,” Atiku continued.

The “military insurrectionists” in Niger were also forewarned by the PDP presidential candidate for 2023 that the world cannot afford to wait for this situation to be addressed rationally for too long.

“The military insurrectionists in the Republic of Niger must understand that the world cannot afford to wait for too long until this issue is addressed rationally, even though the world expects Nigeria to take a leading role in this process of peaceful conflict settlement.

“There is no doubt that the West African region is going through a difficult time. However, Atiku maintained that democracy must always come out on top in any steps taken to hasten a resolution of the conflict in the Republic of Niger.

In the meantime, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the head of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government, on Thursday sent a mission to the Niger Republic with instructions to swiftly end the nation’s present political impasse.

The action was in accordance with the decision made at the conclusion of the ECOWAS emergency summit, which took place last weekend in Abuja.

The team, led by former Nigerian Head of State General Abdulsalami Abubakar (Rtd), departed for Niamey on Thursday after receiving a briefing from President Tinubu at the State House in Abuja, according to a statement by Special Adviser to the President Ajuri Ngelale.