President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has reportedly rejected overtures from General Abdourahamane Tchiani, the head of the military junta in Niger Republic, for direct talks. Diplomatic sources revealed that the request for one-on-one discussions was conveyed by a group of Muslim Ulamas during their meeting with President Tinubu in Abuja about a month after the Niger coup.
Sources close to Niger’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York confirmed that President Tinubu outrightly ruled out any direct interaction with Tchiani. The Nigerian President, who also serves as the Chairman of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government, reportedly viewed such talks as an assault on democratic governance in the region and a disrespect to the still-detained Nigerien President Mohamed Bazoum.
The meeting between President Tinubu and the Muslim Ulamas occurred on August 24, where Tinubu expressed his refusal to engage with the head of an illegal government that came to power through a military coup. Nigerian government sources affirmed Tinubu’s stance, emphasizing that direct interaction with Tchiani would improperly legitimize a coupist government not recognized by ECOWAS.
While some in the African diplomatic community view President Tinubu’s rejection as a potentially negative signal, others argue that maintaining a concerted front among ECOWAS leaders is imperative in dealing with the military takeover. Diplomats note that sending envoys from the Nigerian government, who have ties to former military governments, creates conflicting signals, even though the Niger military junta eventually interacted with them.
The rejection follows the visit of former Nigerian Head of State, General Abdusalami Abubakar, and the Sultan of Sokoto, His Eminence Sa’ad Muhammad Abubakar, to Niger in an attempt to discuss a possible resolution before President Tinubu’s meeting with the Muslim Ulamas. General Abdusalami’s prior trip to Niamey was unsuccessful in securing a meeting with the leaders of the new military junta. The situation underscores the complex diplomatic challenges in resolving the crisis in Niger Republic.
