Former Military Head of State, General Abdulsalami Abubakar, on Tuesday visited President Bola Tinubu in Abuja to brief him on the outcome of his diplomatic shuttle to the Niger Republic. Abubakar who went to the Niger Republic recently as an envoy of the Economic Community of West African States met the President in the company of the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, among other officials.
Abdulsalami briefed Tinubu in his capacity as ECOWAS chairperson on the details of the meeting with the junta leaders. After his meeting with Tinubu on Tuesday, the envoy said he is hopeful that diplomacy will help resolve the political situation in Niger Republic without a recourse to the use of the military option. He expressed hope that diplomacy and not war would prevail as stakeholders brainstorm to find a lasting solution to the coup in Niger Republic.
According to him, correspondences had begun between the West African regional bloc and the military in Niger. He said the line of contact opened by ECOWAS through his appointment as envoy had been very fruitful, expressing hope that something concrete would soon come out of it. In a late night address, Abdourahamane Tiani, the coup leader, said the country will return to civilian rule within three years.
Tiani gave no details of the plan, noting that only principles for the transition would be decided within 30 days at a dialogue to be hosted by the junta. However, ECOWAS rejected the proposed transition plan, saying it would no longer accept prolonged transition periods in the sub-region.
Abdel-Fatau Musa, during an interview with the BBC, described Tchiani’s proposal as a smokescreen for dialogue and diplomacy. On Tuesday, the African Union (AU) said it had suspended Niger until civilian rule in the country is restored. AU also said in a statement that it would assess the implications of any armed intervention in the troubled Sahel nation.
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