President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has reportedly rejected overtures by the head of the military junta Niger Republic, General Abdourahamane Tchiani, to have direct access and discussion with him.
News360 Info understands that the development comes amidst renewed efforts to resolve the crisis in the West African country.
Diplomatic sources said that consenting to such direct one-on-one talks is both an assault on democratic governance in the region and a disrespect to the detained ousted Nigerien President, Mohamed Bazoum.
According to Empowered Newswire, sources close to Niger’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York said President Tinubu was approached with the request of Tchiani by a group of Muslim Ulamas who had met with him in Abuja about a month after the Niger coup.
The ulamas conveyed the request of Tchiani to have direct one-on-one interaction with the Nigerian President, who is also the Chairman of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government, as a possible way to resolve the crisis.
In the meeting held in Abuja on August 24, the sources said Tinubu point blank ruled out any such interaction with the head of an illegal government that came to power through a military coup toppling a democratically elected government of Niger.
Nigerian government sources also confirmed that, indeed, President Tinubu’s position is that having a direct interaction with Tchiani would improperly legitimise a coupist whose government is not even recognised by ECOWAS.
“The President outrightly rejected the overture, insisting that ECOWAS leaders would be disappointed besides the fact that such an interaction would send the wrong signal about democratic governance in the continent,” the source said.
