President Bola Tinubu has been cautioned by northern senators against making any move to step into the military coup debacle in the nearby Niger Republic with the Nigerian military as a means of quelling the crisis.
A joint statement of the caucus signed by Senator Suleiman Kawu Sumaila condemned the Niger coup but cautioned against the use of military power.
It instead advocated diplomatic channels to address the situation as a more effective and better option.
The group also faulted the menu of economic and other sanctions Tinubu has been hurriedly unleashing on Niger in the wake of the military takeover of power.
They wrote: “We, the Northern Senators Caucus of the 10th Senate under the leadership of Sen. Abdul Ahmad Ningi, note with concern and condemn in its entirety the unfortunate development in the Niger Republic, where the military forcefully upstaged a democratically elected government of President Mohammed Bazoum.
The Northern Senators also take cognizance of the efforts of the ECOWAS leaders under the chairmanship of our Dear President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, in resolving the situation in the Niger Republic. The emphasis, however, should be on political and diplomatic means to restore democratic government in the Niger Republic.
We also take exception to the use of military force until other avenues, as mentioned above, are exhausted, as the consequences will be casualties among the innocent citizens who go about their daily business. Besides, about seven northern states that share a border with the Niger Republic, namely Sokoto, Kebbi, Katsina, Zamfara, Jigawa, Yobe, and Borno, will be negatively affected.
We are also aware of the situation in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Libya, which may affect the seven Northern states if military force is used. There are serious implications for our country if military force is used without exhausting all diplomatic channels.
As democrats and representatives of the people, we are here by urging our colleagues to observe due diligence in invoking Section 5 subsection (4) (a) and (b) of the 1999 Nigerian Constitution as amended.
