The Senate has advised President Bola Tinubu to use diplomacy to reassert Mohamed Bazoum’s authority and bring back democratic rule to the Niger Republic as the dismiss his request for military actions.
After meeting behind closed doors for four hours on Saturday to discuss the political situation in the nation of West Africa, the Red Chamber passed the resolution.
Following an executive communication from President Tinubu requesting the implementation of the ECOWAS resolution on the political situation in the Niger Republic, the upper legislative chamber passed the resolution.
The Red Chamber instructed its leadership to communicate with the President on behalf of the entire Senate in order to determine the best course of action for resolving the situation in the neighboring nation.
The Senate also requested that the President, who currently serves as the Chairman of ECOWAS, continue to urge other head of state representatives to use all available political and diplomatic channels as well as other strategies to break the deadlock in Niger.
In response to the letter, Senate President Godswill Obot Akpabio claimed that the letter had been misrepresented in the media and that President Tinubu had never asked for permission for Nigeria to declare war on the Niger Republic.
He claimed that in his capacity as ECOWAS Chairman, President Tinubu only asked for permission to put ECOWAS resolutions into effect.
He said: “By the virtue of the correspondence of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as the Commander-in-Chief, he has not asked for the approval of the parliament or of Senate to go to war as erroneously suggested in some quarters, rather Mr President and Commander-in-Chief had expressed and I quote, in which to respectfully solicited support in the successful implementation of the ECOWAS resolutions in the said communications.
“The leadership of the Senate is mandated to further engage with the President and Commander-in-Chief on behalf of the entire Senate to ensure how best to resolve the crisis.
“The Senate call on the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as Chairman of ECOWAS to further encourage other leaders of ECOWAS to strengthen political and diplomatic options and other means with a view to resolving the impasse”
