Tinubu shuns Niger coup leaders’ offer for direct talks
As attempts to end the Niger crisis continue, General Abdourahamane Tchiani, the head of the military junta in that West African country, has been outright rejected by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
According to diplomatic sources, agreeing to such direct one-on-one conversations is an affront to democratic government in the region as well as disrespect to the still-detained Nigerien President, Mohamed Bazoum.
According to sources close to Niger’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York, President Tinubu was approached about Tchiani’s request by a group of Muslim Ulamas who met with him in Abuja around a month after the Niger coup.
The Ulamas transmitted General Abdourahamane Tchiani’s appeal for a direct one-on-one meeting with Nigeria’s President, who is also the Chairman of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government, as a possible solution to the problem.
According to sources, President Tinubu explicitly ruled out any such interaction with the president of an unlawful government that came to power by a military coup toppling Niger’s democratically elected government on August 24.
Nigerian government sources also confirmed that indeed President Tinubu’s position is that having a direct interaction with Tchiani would improperly legitimise a coupist whose government is not even recognised by ECOWAS. “The President outrightly rejected the overture, insisting that ECOWAS leaders would be disappointed besides the fact that such an interaction would send the wrong signal about democratic governance in the continent.”
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While many in the African diplomatic community, particularly in Nigeria, believe that President Tinubu’s refusal to hold direct talks with Tchiani at this time would be a terrible signal, the Niger issue has continued without much hope. Diplomats underlined that coping with the military takeover required a united stance from President Tinubu and other ECOWAS leaders.
However, Niger officials in New York contended that sending envoys from the Nigerian government to the coupists in Niger, who are themselves former military government benefactors, is a contradictory signal, even though the Niger military junta eventually communicated with them.
It would be recalled that former head of state General Abdusalami Abubakar and the Sultan of Sokoto His Eminence Sa’ad Muhammad Abubakar had visited Niger to discuss a possible resolution on August 19, a few days before the Niger Ulamas discussed with President Tinubu. Before the visit to Niger by both Abdusalami and the Sultan, the former head of state had traveled to Niamey but was not able to meet with the leaders of the new military junta.
Later on the 9th of August, Emir Sanusi Lamido Sanusi released visuals of a successful meeting with the Coup Leaders.
And observers say the emir was successful in his bid to meet with Tchiani and other members of the Military Junta because of his position as the Khalifa of the Tijaniyya Islamic sect, with a significant following in Niger. Sanusi was also at the Presidential Villa on the same August 9th. And then the Ulamas visited Aso Rock later in August.
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) had appointed Nigeria’s former military head of state, Abdulsalami Abubakar, to lead a delegation to Niger for mediation. And it was also decided that he be accompanied by the Sultan of Sokoto, who is believed to be influential among the Muslim community in Niger just as in Nigeria too.
At the meeting where the Ulamas presented Tchiani’s request to meet Tinubu directly, an idea they also supported the ECOWAS leader according to an Aso Villa statement implored the “delegation of Islamic scholars (Ulamas), who were previously engaged in discussions to facilitate the restoration of constitutional democratic governance in Niger Republic, to expedite progress in their ongoing dialogue with the military junta.”
President Tinubu told the Islamic delegation as reported in the statement “that the military junta must be held accountable for putting the entire people of Niger Republic in jeopardy. They cannot use the gun given to them to protect the sovereignty of the country and turn it against the people of the country,” he said.
According to the official statement from the Presidential Villa the Nigerian President “received a comprehensive briefing on Thursday at the State House in Abuja, from the Ulamas, who were led into the meeting by Sheikh Bala Lau. The briefing followed the Ulamas’ two most recent visits to Niger Republic.”
