President Tinubu dispatches Abdulsalam, Sultan of Sokoto to Niamey, urges robust dialogue

The Chairman of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government, President Bola Tinubu, has dispatched a delegation to Niger Republic with a mandate to expeditiously resolve the current political impasse in the country.

The action was in line with the resolution reached at the end of the extraordinary summit of the ECOWAS held on Sunday in Abuja.

The delegation, headed by former Nigerian Head of State, retired Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar, left for Niamey on Thursday after a briefing by Tinubu at the State House in Abuja.

A statement by Ajuri Ngelale, Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, said that also on the delegation were the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Abubakar III and the President of the ECOWAS Commission, Omar Touray.

The president has also sent a separate delegation led by Ambassador Babagana Kingibe to engage with the leaders of Libya and Algeria on the Niger crisis.

Briefing the two delegations, Tinubu charged them to engage all stakeholders robustly to ensure a conclusive and amicable resolution of the situation in Niger for the purposes of African peace and development rather than a move to adopt the geopolitical positions of other nations.

“We don’t want to hold briefs for anybody. Our concern is democracy and the peace of the region,” the President said.

Speaking after the meeting, Abubakar said the delegation would meet the coup leaders in Niger to present the demands of the ECOWAS leadership.