The Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) has warned President Boal Tinubu against starting a war with the military junta in Niger Republic.
Recall that the military seized power in Niger Republic on July 26 and has held President Mohamed Bazoum hostage since then.
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) subsequently directed the closure of land and air borders between member states against the Niger Republic over the coup.
Tinubu is the Chairman of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government, which last Sunday issued a seven-day ultimatum to Niger’s military to release and reinstate President Bazoum as the legitimate Head of State and Government of the landlocked state.
On Thursday, Tinubu wrote to the Senate seeking the National Assembly’s support to initiate military action against the military junta in Niger if it refuses to relinquish power.
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In a Friday statement signed by its General Secretary, Murtala Aliyu, the ACF appealed for dialogue to resolve the impasse, noting that military deployment and intervention against the coup plotters in Niger Republic will not guarantee peace and stability in the ECOWAS sub-region.
“ACF, however, views with concern the unfolding events in Nigeria’s immediate neighbour, the Republic of Niger, and the potential impact on the region.
“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 military force.
“While the ACF recognises the ECOWAS position to bring pressure to bear on the perpetrators, nevertheless the military option shouldn’t be a prerequisite for Nigeria’s and the Community’s continuing efforts to enthrone democracy in the region in the 21st century,” the ACF said.
The Northern group stated that though military intervention might yield a temporary solution, the result would come with repercussions for Nigeria as a leader and the regional body.
“To this end, ACF notes that while it supports the position to restore democratic rule in Niger, it calls on the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government under the able Chairmanship of President Bola Tinubu, that it should toe 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,” the statement further read.
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