*Abdulsalami Abubakar leads delegation
*Sends another team headed by Kingibe to interface with leaders of Libya, Algeria
*We'll convey regional heads' displeasure to coupists, says Ex-head of state
*DHQ: ECOWAS military chiefs yet to receive battle order to engage in Niger
*Atiku, ACF, Addo advise AU, ECOWAS against military action, harp on diplomacy
The Chairman of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government, President Bola Tinubu, has dispatched a three-man delegation to Niger Republic with a mandate to expeditiously resolve the current political impasse in the country.
The development emerged just as the Defence Headquarters yesterday, said defence chiefs of ECOWAS were yet to receive any battle order to engage in Niger Republic in furtherance of the decision of the regional bloc, ECOWAS, to deploy military assets to dislodge the coupists in that country.
However, former vice president and the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2023 presidential election, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), have advised the African Union (AU) and ECOWAS against the use of force in restoring democratic governance in Niger Republic.
The three-man delegation dispatched by Tinubu, according to a statement issued yesterday, by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale, was in line with the resolution reached at the end of the extraordinary summit of the ECOWAS held on Sunday in Abuja.
On July 26, Muhammadou Bazoum, the elected president of Niger was over thrown in a military coup d'etat led by Brigadier General Abdoulrahame Tchiani.
The delegation, headed by former Nigerian Head of State, General Abdulsalami Abubakar (Rtd), left for Niamey on Thursday following a briefing by President Tinubu at the State House in Abuja.
The former Nigerian Head of State is joined in the delegation by the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Sa'ad Abubakar III and the President of the ECOWAS Commission, H.E. Omar Alieu Touray.
The president also sent a separate delegation led by Amb. Babagana Kingibe to engage with the leaders of Libya and Algeria on the Niger crisis.
Briefing the two delegations, Tinubu charged them to engage all stakeholders robustly with a view to doing whatever it takes to ensure a conclusive and amicable resolution of the situation in Niger for the purposes of African peace and development rather than a move to adopt the geopolitical positions of other nations.
"We don't want to hold brief for anybody. Our concern is democracy and the peace of the region," the president said.
Speaking after the meeting, General Abubakar said the delegation would meet the coup leaders in Niger to present the demands of the ECOWAS leadership.
Both leaders of the two missions expressed optimism on the outcome of the assignments.
Speaking with newsmen before departing State House for Niamey, former Head of State, General Abubakar, disclosed that the task before his team was to express the displeasure of the ECOWAS leaders with the developments in Niger to those who hijacked power in the country.
He said: "We have just been give our marching orders to go to Niger and convey the feelings of our heads of state in the region that they are not happy with what happened. And they gave them an ultimatum that the coupists should desist from what they are doing and give back power to an elected President and again, to make sure that this message is sent loud and clear to them.
"That's what we are here for. So far, we are going there to convey this message to them and hear their response and report back what they have said".
Also speaking, Kingibe said talking with Libya and Algeria, two countries bordering Niger to the North, would stimulate the solidarity required for peaceful talks.
According to him: "Of course, this kind of situation requires solidarity. It requires coordination with all parties that are relevant to the situation.
"In that regard, Libya and Algeria are also very important neighbours of Niger. So, my mission is to go there with a message from President Tinubu. To brief them on the ECOWAS position and solicit solidarity and cooperation."
He expressed optimism that the talks would avert a possible military intervention saying, "we hope to find a diplomatic solution. Nobody wants to go to war, especially with neighbourly, brotherly people across the border with whom we share a common language, culture and religion."
Meanwhile, the Defence Headquarters yesterday disclosed that defence chiefs of ECOWAS were yet to receive any battle order to engage in Niger Republic.
The clarification came following reports that the Nigerian military had received orders to mobilise troops and other naval assets for the planned Niger operation.
A statement signed by the Acting Director, Defence Information (DDI), Brig Gen Tukur Gusau, stated that the Armed Forces of Nigeria cannot proceed on any operation in any of the member states of ECOWAS without the mandate of the Authority of Heads of States and Government.
"The attention of the Armed Forces of Nigeria has been drawn to an online report stating that the Armed Forces of Nigeria (AFN) is assembling its forces for military action in Republic of Niger.
"The AFN is yet to receive any order from the appropriate authority to commence military action, against the military junta in Niger.
"It's no longer news that some members of the Republic of Niger Armed Forces seized power from a democratically elected government through un-constitutional means.
"In reaction to this illegal takeover of government the ECOWAS Heads of Government met and a series of options were reached on how to intervene in the crisis", it said.
"Military option was the last option to be taken in case every other option fails to reverse the situation and return the Government of Republic of Niger to constitutional order.
"At the moment, ECOWAS Committee of Chiefs of Defence Staff is currently holding an extraordinary meeting in Abuja to discuss the political situation in Republic of Niger and submit their plans to the committee of Heads of States and Government of ECOWAS for consideration", it said.
The statement affirmed that "the Armed Forces of Nigeria cannot proceed on any operation in any of the member states of ECOWAS without the mandate from the Authority of Heads of States and Government".
However, the ACF has advised AU and ECOWAS against the use of force in restoring democratic governance in Niger Republic.
ECOWAS heads of state and government had in a communique issued at the end of the 51st Extraordinary Summit held in Abuja on July 30, 2023 issued a one-week ultimatum for the coupists to return power to the democratically elected Bazoum, or face a range of sanctions including, among others, economic, land and overflight blockade already imposed or military intervention.
However, Atiku Abubakar has cautioned against military engagement in resolving the Niger Republic coup saga, stressing the need for dialogue as a means to resolve the crisis.
In a statement he signed, Atiku said the military intervention in the Republic of Niger had created tension across the West Africa sub-region, adding that the development had caused international attention to neighbouring countries, including Nigeria.
"Of course, the world expects Nigeria to take up leadership in ensuring that the crisis of political leadership in the Republic of Niger is not just curtailed, but also ensuring the restoration of democratic governance in that country.
"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 ECOWAS has been commendable," Atiku stated.
The former vice president added: "As ECOWAS continues to work towards reinstating democracy in the Republic of Niger, it must be reinforced that the regional body should not travel the road of military hostilities that may exacerbate the status quo.
"The crisis in the Republic of Niger requires diplomatic engagements, and that must mean that the channels for dialogue should be well sustained.
"While the world expects Nigeria to take a leading role in this process of peaceful conflict resolution, it must be clear to the military insurrectionists in the Republic of Niger that the world cannot afford to wait for too long before this crisis is resolved reasonably.
"This is undoubtedly a challenging time for the West African region. However, any actions taken towards the prompt resolution of the crisis in the Republic of Niger must prioritize democracy as the ultimate victor," the former vice president advised.
Also, the ACF, while commending the position of the regional bodies in a statement in Kaduna, yesterday, said military action against the coupist would be counterproductive considering the relationship between Nigeria and Niger.
The statement signed by the Secretary General of the forum, Murtala Aliyu, said the ACF was concerned about unfolding events in Nigeria's immediate neighbour and the potential impact on the region.
The statement noted that, "Nigeria and Niger share a long historical boarder of more than one 1,500 kilometers with families, communities sharing common facilities including farmlands, markets, cultural bonds and languages for many centuries predating the Trans Saharan Trade and colonial times.
It said, "The two countries have enjoyed harmonious brotherly and mutually beneficial inter communal relationships from time immemorial."
Aliyu said, "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 force."
The statement said, "While the Arewa Consultative Forum, recognises the ECOWAS position to bring pressure to bear on the coupists, but nevertheless the military option shouldn't be a prerequisite for Nigeria and the ECOWAS' continuing efforts to enthrone democracy in the region in the 21st century.
"Certainly not an adventure to be led Nigeria.
"Democracy has taken root in Nigeria and her leadership role has inspired many countries in ECOWAS to embrace democratic governance structure.
"We shouldn't throw that away for some misadventure against our brothers and sisters on the other side prejudicial to our Non -interference in a country's internal affairs posture and attendant legal implications.
"ECOWAS is a shining example of a functional Regional Economic Cooperation (REC) on the Continent which should be sustained.
"We believe the peaceful relations with our boarder communities and stability of the entire region should be paramount.
"A military intervention might yield temporary solution but the repercussions on Nigeria as a leader and the regional body would impact negatively on future relations and a herculean task to rebuild.
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"The ACF supports the position to restore democratic rule in Niger but calls on the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government under the able Chairmanship President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR to tow 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."
Similarly, former Special Adviser to former Vice President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar and the governorship candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in the last governorship election in Adamawa State, Dr. Umar Addo, yesterday appealed to West African leaders to apply diplomacy instead of using bullets to settle the Niger Republic coup.
In a statement he issued in Abuja, Addo said, "For ECOWAS and Nigeria especially, diplomatic option is preferable and not war in resolving the current imbroglio in Niger. War will only lead to the disintegration of ECOWAS and plunge the sub-region into more violent conflicts to the benefit of the armed industrial west to sell their arms and further plunder our vast natural resources.
"It will increase poverty, death and destructions, insecurity, insurgency and terrorism in the sub-region. At the current height of ideological war between the west and the east, we will only turn the sub-region into a proxy war theatre of foreign superpowers."
Addo said a military coup that was carried out without bloodshed in a sovereign country cannot be enough reason to warrant plunging the entire sub-region into a bloody war.
Specifically, he said, "for Nigeria, going the route of war against Niger Republic does not in any way advance her strategic interest. In fact, it will only compound the problem as war has two downsides: Nigeriens will see us as working against their interests...and that we're in support of the US, UK and France's interests, thus advancing the interests of neocolonialism;
"It will not only be a major distraction to the fight against ISWAP, it will also lead to a loss of our longstanding major political, economic, diplomatic ally from independence through to the civil war to the current fight against terrorism and insurgency.
"The war will be a long and expensive one as Niger borders eight countries, five of which are under military rule that will for self-survival support Niger, being all geographically continuous.
"Already, Guinea, Mali Burkina Faso and Algeria have pledged support to the Nigerien military junta and the junta has reciprocated by opening its borders with these countries," he exclaimed.
"And for the Tinubu regime, the president should be well advised that declaring war on Niger Republic will make him lose the support of the Muslim North, especially those of the Northwest and Northeast, thereby rendering this part of the country ungovernable for the regime. I believe he needs to know this fact," he stressed.
