Leadership (Abuja)
Golu Timothy
15 November 2009
Abuja — The constitutional crisis rocking the tiny republic of Niger is yet to be over, as three former prime ministers of the West African country at the weekend met with the chief mediator in the conflict, and Nigeria's former head of state, General Abdulsalami Abubakar in Abuja behind closed doors.
The former prime ministers, namely, Mohammed Yusuf, Mohammed Usman and Hamman Ahmadu led a high powered delegation including the country's media to Abuja where they later held a press conference at Bolingo Hotel where they insisted that the embattled president of the country, Mamuda Tandja, whose two term tenure expires next month, must vacate office and pave way for the conduct of credible elections for the emergence of a new president.The three PMs, who took turns to speak in French and Hausa languages, said the only way for a peaceful return to order, is an immediate restoration of constitutional order in the country, where both the constitutional court and the national assembly, are restored as first step towards resolving the crisis.
They accused Tandja of a naked ambition who is ready to sell the country for a pot of porridge and to set the nation ablaze just to realise a dangerous ambition.According to Yusuf, 'We are in Abuja on the invitation of your former head of state who is the chief ECOWAS mediator in the conflict. He called us to get our own analysis of the whole situation which will possibly help him take quality decisions. We told him of the damage Tandja's actions are already causing our beloved country and the level of their illegality.
We insist on the restoration of the constitutional court and the National assembly which has been disrupted. We emphatically say no to any form of extension by Tandja which is not recognise by our own constitution. We are not canvassing for appointments, but we want a reversal to status quo'.They added that under no condition will the opposition work with Tandja to form any unity government because the approach is totally against the spirit and principle of democracy." We will not work with him because his actions are not in the best democratic interest of our people and the nation. We want peace, so therefore, Tandja must go. He cannot be allowed to toy with the destiny of a whole country just to realise a selfish and greedy ambition."
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