Opposition to the Economic Community of West African States’ planned military action against the junta in Niger grew on Sunday as the Nigeria Labour Congress and the Labour Party’s presidential candidate, Mr Peter Obi, urged ECOWAS to embrace dialogue.
Also, the Peoples Democratic Party and the Catholic Archbishop of Abuja Diocese, Ignatius Kaigama faulted the planned military action against the junta.
Soldiers led by General Abdourahmane Tchiani had on July 26 overthrew the country’s President, Mohammed Bazoum, and kept him and his family under house arrest.
ECOWAS had at a meeting in Abuja on Thursday threatened to take military action against the junta if they refused to reinstate Bazoum.
But the NLC warned the regional bloc against the use of military force to remove the military junta in the Niger Republic, stating that the disadvantages outweigh the benefits.
NLC issued the warning in a statement signed by its President, Joe Ajaero, on Sunday.
The congress claimed that such a move would only put the lives of the deposed President and his family in danger, cause the entire region, including Northern Nigeria, to become unstable, and result in the loss of many lives.
It also urged the governments to consider if they had the economic strength to prosecute a war since one could not predict what the end would look like.
“Equally of significance is the unintended possibility of turning Niger into a fertile territory for proxy wars. Even after the war is over, the region must brace itself for heightened acts of terrorism or insurgency just as it might signal the end of ECOWAS as we know it today given the scenario of 10 members fighting five,” Ajaero cautioned.
The PDP on the other hand condemned what it called ‘’the desperation of President Tinubu to plunge Nigeria into a state of war by dragging her military into a needless conflict with Niger Republic.’’
A statement by the PDP National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, read in part, “The PDP observes that the insistence by the APC administration to draft Nigerian soldiers into Niger Republic in defiance to the disapproval by the National Assembly and Nigerians across board validates apprehensions in the public domain of ulterior motives by the Tinubu-led APC to import crisis and destabilize our nation for political reasons.’’
On his part, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party Peter Obi, said developments in Niger Republic had assumed a subject of international attention which constitutes a dire and urgent national interest and security for Nigeria.
He, therefore, joined the call for a total diplomatic resolution of the political crisis in the Niger Republic, where the political configuration of the West African sub-region should be factored in and adopted.
The former Anambra State governor in a statement on Sunday, further called on all the regional and global stakeholders to prioritise diplomatic dialogue towards resolving the crisis with minimal disruptive impact on neighbouring countries and the West African sub-region.
He said, “Recent developments in the neighbouring Niger Republic have become the subject of international attention. For Nigeria, this development is a matter of dire and urgent national interest and security.
“Whereas ECOWAS authorities have indicated that they remain open to various conflict resolution options, diplomacy must remain the overarching imperative in resolving the present crisis. I join the many well-meaning Nigerians who have advocated that any intervention in the crisis should be pre-eminently through diplomatic dialogue among all strategic interests in the crisis.’’
Archbishop Kaigama in a homily on Sunday warned the Federal Government against going to war with the Republic of Niger.
The cleric issued the warning in his message delivered at the Church of St. Anthony, Angwan Gede in Abuja, which was taken from 1 Kings 19:9.11-13; Romans 9:1-5; and Matthew 14:22-33.
According to him, while ECOWAS cannot afford to wage war to ensure peace when dialogue offers a better option, the humongous amounts to be contributed by Nigeria should be channeled into confronting the economic hardships in the country.
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Reacting to the latest development from Niger, a civil society organization, Foundation for Peace Professionals, described it as cheering news.
“I am excited over the latest development in Niger Republic, which has made dialogue a tool for resolution and I commend the Islamic Ulamas who made this possible,’’ the Executive Director of PeacePro, Mr Abdulrazaq Hamzat, said in a statement.
