Nigeria's largest opposition bloc slams military plans against Niger
3 Min Read
The country's Senate urges the president to reconsider military action threats against Niger as Sunday deadline arrives.
-
Nigeria army officers patrol in Lagos on February 21, 2023, ahead of the last Nigerian presidential elections (AFP)
Pressure is growing on Nigerian President Bola Tinubu by opposition parties to reconsider military action against neighboring Niger, ahead of the Sunday deadline to reinstate ECOWAS-backed President Mohamed Bazoum.
The military takeover in Niger was the latest in a series of rebellions led by African young leaders against governments imposed by France as part of its colonial efforts, including the recent coups in Burkina Faso and Mali and public protests in Senegal.
The uranium-rich nation is showing no signs of giving in to military threats by French-affiliated African governments, as the new widely popular leadership announced earlier that it "resolutely defend their homeland."
Read more: Niger braces for ECOWAS deadline; no signs of giving in to threats
Behind closed doors, Nigeria's Senate met on Saturday to discuss the developing situation.
According to the country's constitution, any foreign military actions or combat engagement must be approved by the upper chamber, unless the president deems national security is under "imminent threat or danger".
"The Senate calls on the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as chairman of ECOWAS to further encourage other leaders of ECOWAS to strengthen the political and diplomatic options," the Senate's President Godswill Akpabio told reporters after the talks.
Innocent citizens
Senators representing states in northern Nigeria - seven states of which collectively share around 1,500 km of borders with Niger - have urged against taking military steps until all other political options are exhausted.
Northern regions also share deep historical ties with southern Niger areas, including social, religious, and cultural relations, in addition to trade links and linguistic heritages.
"The consequences will be casualties among the innocent citizens who go about their daily business," Suleiman Kawu Sumaila, spokesman for the Northern Senators Forum said, just after ECOWAS announced its ultimatum for Niger.
Sumaila also warned that a conflict in Niger risks a widespread insurgence of terrorist groups along the Sahel region.
"We are also aware of the situation of Mali, Burkina Faso and Libya, which may affect the seven Northern states if military force is used," he said.
Nigeria would face serious repercussions "if military force is used without exhausting all the diplomatic channels".
Read more: ECOWAS defense chiefs prepare possible intervention plan in Niger
A thoughtless decision
The mounting fears among Nigerian parties were also voiced by the country's largest opposition bloc, which slammed plans for a military operation against Niger as "absolutely thoughtless".
"The Nigerian military have been overstretched over the years battling terrorism and all manners of insurgency that are still very active," the Coalition of United Political Parties said Saturday.
In parallel to battling terrorist militants in the northeast, Nigeria's security forces are preoccupied across the country also fighting organized crimes across the country and separatist groups in the southeast.
The country's dire economic state, which plunged deeper after the government's decision to lift fuel subsidies last May, is also a risk factor that threatens to escalate in case Nigeria goes to war with its neighbor.
"Nigeria, in its current socioeconomic state, cannot afford such a costly intervention," the coalition argued.
"President Bola Tinubu should avoid plunging Nigeria’s fragile economy into more depression by intervening militarily in another country."
