An All Progressives Congress chieftain, Adamu Garba, has said that the Economic Community of West African States cannot declare war directly on Niger Republic.
He insisted that before war is declared there must be approval from the National Assembly, National Security Council, and the Council of State.
Garba’s statement is coming barely 24 hours after the conclusion of the second extraordinary ECOWAS summit held in Abuja, on Thursday.
The meeting was held to discuss ways of restoring democratic rule to Niger Republic following the overthrown government of President Mohamed Bazoum by the military Junta in the country.
A major highlight of the meeting was that the ECOWAS activated a standby force against Niger’s military coup leaders with its full elements.
While some have applauded this action, others have rejected it, stating that it is calling for war.
The Chairman of the Authority of Heads of States and Government of ECOWAS, President Bola Tinubu, stated during his address that, “no option is off the table” in the bid to restoring democratic rule to Niger.
The APC chieftain, however, stated that if indeed the body declares war against Niger Republic it would be a miscalculation on Africa’s part.
Speaking further, he noted that ECOWAS putting the military on standby is ambiguous and not necessarily a declaration of war.
He said, “If indeed, war is declared by ECOWAS against Niger in the name of democracy, it is going to be the most strategic miscalculation for Africa in the 21st century.
“This goes contrary to the statement made by the state house earlier today on the need to approach the issue of Niger’s coup with diplomacy and not through war.
“I am not sure that is the way war is declared. There must be approval from the National Assembly, National Security Council, and the Council of State. The President must also talk to the Nation justifying the need for war.
“ECOWAS cannot declare war directly.
“Sometimes the media can speculate. We might need to wait and see how the event unfolds.
“ECOWAS statement is ambiguous and not categorical. “Activating Military as a Standby Force for deployment” doesn’t not mean starting a war for me.
“Media should not mislead you into conclusions. We should still wait and see what happens next.”
