The Arewa Consultative Forum, ACF, has cautioned President
Bola Tinubu and the Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS, against
military intervention in the Niger Republic.
ACF warned that military intervention in the Niger Republic
would have consequences for Nigeria.
The General Secretary of the Forum, Murtala Aliyu, urged the
ECOWAS to dialogue with those behind the coup in Niger Republic.
A statement by Aliyu said using military might in the Niger
Republic would not guarantee peace and stability in the ECOWAS sub-region.
According to Aliyu: “ACF, however, views with concern the
unfolding events in Nigeria’s immediate neighbour, Republic of Niger and the
potential impact on the region.
“The measures being contemplated should have taken into
consideration the historical antecedents and mutual interests of the two
countries and weighed the consequences of the use of military force.
“While the ACF recognises the ECOWAS position to bring
pressure to bear on the perpetrators, but nevertheless the military option
shouldn’t be a prerequisite for Nigeria’s and the Community’s continuing
efforts to enthrone democracy in the region in the 21st century.
“A military intervention might yield a temporary solution,
but the repercussions on Nigeria as a leader and the regional body would impact
negatively on future relations and a herculean task to rebuild.
“To this end, ACF notes that while it supports the position
to restore democratic rule in Niger, it calls on the ECOWAS Authority of Heads
of State and Government under the able Chairmanship of President Bola Tinubu,
that it should tow the path of dialogue and diplomacy and certainly not force,
in resolving the current impasse in Niger in the interest of peaceful
coexistence with our brotherly neighbour and stability of the ECOWAS region.”
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