Senate on Saturday rejected President Bola Tinubu’s request for approval for a military intervention to chase out the junta who recently toppled the democractic government of the Niger Republic.
Rather, the Senate urged President Tinubu, who is the Chairman of ECOWAS, to adopt diplomacy in addressing the matter.
Tinubu had in an official communication sent to the Senate on Friday sought the support of the lawmakers for the implementation of Resolutions of ECOWAS on the political situation in Niger Republic.
But after a two-hour deliberations behind closed doors on Saturday, Senate advised President Tinubu against use of force to chase the coupists out of power.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio after the executive session, said the Senate agreed that its leadership should meet with Tinubu over the resolutions of the red chamber.
Akpabio said, “The Senate commends President Ahmed Bola Tinubu and other Heads of States and Governments of the ECOWAS for their prompt response and the position taken on the unfortunate development in Niger Republic.
“The Senate recognises the fact that President Tinubu by virtue of his correspondence has not asked for the approval of this Senate to go to war as being erroneously suggested in some quarters.
“Rather, the President and Commander in chief had ‘wished to respectively solicit the support of the National assembly in the successful implementation of the ECOWAS resolutions as outlined in the said communication’.
“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 and other means with which to resolve the political impasse in Niger Republic.
“The National Assembly to the ECOWAS leadership under President Tinubu to resolving the political situation in Niger and returning the country to democratic governance in the nearest future.
“The leadership of the senate is mandated to further engage the President and Commander in Chief on behalf of the senate and the national Assembly on how best to resolve the issue in view of the hitherto existing cordial relationship between Niger and Nigeria.
“Finally, the Senate called on the ECOWAS Parliament to rise to the occasion by condemning this and also positing solutions to resolve this impasse as soon as possible.”
