Tinubu writes Senate, seeks approval for military deployment against Niger Republic

President Tinubu Informs Senate of ECOWAS Resolutions on Niger Republic’s Political Situation

In a letter addressed to the Senate on Friday, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu brought to light the recent coup in Niger Republic and the actions taken by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to reinstate the democratically elected government.

During the plenary session, Senate President Godswill Akpabio read out the contents of President Tinubu’s letter, titled “Implementation of the resolutions of the Economic Committee of West African States (ECOWAS) on the political situation in Niger Republic.”

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In his letter, President Tinubu stated, “I present my modest compliments to the Distinguished Senate President and Distinguished Senators. I do have the honour to inform you that following the unfortunate political situation in Niger Republic culminating in the overthrow of His Excellency, President Mohammed Bazoum on 26th July 2023, the Economic Community of West African States under my leadership condemned the coup in its entirety and resolved alongside other members of the international community to seek the return of the democratically elected Government in Niger.”

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In response to the crisis, ECOWAS called for an extraordinary summit of the authority of Heads of States and Governments in Abuja on Sunday, 30th July 2023. During the summit, the African Union and ECOWAS Protocols on constitutional changes of Government issued a communiqué outlining the agreed-upon course of action by Member States.

As the Chair of ECOWAS, Nigeria holds the responsibility to lead in implementing the directives outlined in the communique. To achieve this, President Tinubu directed various actions to restore democracy in Niger Republic.

The outlined actions include the closure and monitoring of all land borders with Niger Republic, along with reactivation of the border drill exercise. Additionally, Nigeria will cut off electricity supply to Niger Republic and mobilize international support for implementing the provisions of the ECOWAS communique.

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Furthermore, there will be a prevention of the operation of commercial and special flights into and from Niger Republic, and a blockade of goods in transit to Niger Republic, especially from Lagos and the Eastern seaports.

In parallel, President Tinubu emphasized the importance of sensitizing both Nigerians and Nigeriens on the necessity of these actions, particularly through social media channels.

For the purpose of enforcing compliance by the military junta in Niger, should they remain recalcitrant to the ECOWAS communique, Nigeria will embark on a military buildup and deploy personnel for military intervention.

President Tinubu’s letter to the Senate underscores Nigeria’s commitment to restoring peace and democracy in Niger Republic and highlights the coordinated efforts taken by ECOWAS to address the political situation in the region.