The Chairman of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Authority of Heads of State and Government and Nigeria’s president, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has reacted to the unfolding events in Niger Republic following reports of the coup d’état in the country.
In a statement released by the president, he expressed the ECOWAS’s rejection of “any situation that incapacitates the democratically-elected government of the country (Niger)”, warning further that “the ECOWAS leadership will not accept any action that impedes the smooth functioning of legitimate authority in Niger or any part of West Africa”.
The president noted that his government and the organisation “are closely monitoring the situation and developments in Niger and that he is “in close consultation with other leaders in our region, and we shall protect our hard-earned democracy in line with the universally acceptable principle of constitutionalism”.
President Tinubu concluded that, “as the Chairperson of ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government, I state without equivocation that Nigeria stands firmly with the elected government in Niger and equally conveys the absolute resolve of leaders in our sub-region that we shall not waiver or flinch on our stand to defend and preserve constitutional order.
Sources in the Niger Republic capital, Niamey, reported the arrival of a High-Powered Nigerian Delegation to Engage with the Coup Plotters. The delegation comprises two former Nigerian state Governors, a Military General, and a Diplomat from Nigeria. The sources say the visit by the delegation is aimed at facilitating dialogue and seeking a peaceful resolution to the situation.
