Peter Obi, presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the last elections, says diplomacy remains the most ble option in a bid to restore democracy to Niger Republic.
The Cable paper reported that, On July 26, Niger President Mohamed Bazoum was deposed from office by a military junta that has gone on to form a new government.
At its meeting on Thursday in Abuja, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) decided that all possibilities remained on the table, including the use of force as a last resort.
Obi stated in a series of tweets on Sunday that the situation in Niger needs to be handled urgently.
He claimed that for Niger to revert to constitutional democracy, it needs all the outside help it can obtain.
“Recent events in the neighboring Niger Republic have drawn attention from around the world,” Obi remarked.
“This development is of grave and immediate national interest and security to Nigeria.
Niger is unavoidably a contentious topic for ECOWAS and a number of international interlocutors.
“Regardless of the stances taken by various parties with direct or indirect interests in Niger, negotiation and diplomacy must take precedence in order to reach a settlement with the least amount of disruption to Nigeria and the West African sub-region.
“The realpolitik of the West African sub-region must be taken into account in a comprehensive diplomatic solution.
“The people of Niger should receive all domestic, regional, and international assistance to restore normalcy to their nation.”
Obi continued by saying that Nigeria’s contribution to ending the Niger situation is still crucial.
While ECOWAS must work to prevent the rise of military dictatorships in West Africa, he added, multilateral diplomatic procedures must limit the use of armed deterrence.
“A coordinated multilateral coalition including Nigeria, ECOWAS, the AU, and the UN is what the situation in Niger urgently requires in order to work toward a planned return to a democratic constitutional system.
Nigeria’s leadership role in this process must not be in question.
Sanisalma33 (
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