A former Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Comrade Timi Frank, on Saturday, raised the alarm over alleged plot by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to go to war over coup in the neighbouring Niger Republic, to enable him declare a state of emergency in Nigeria and suspend the ongoing proceedings of the Presidential Election Petitions Tribunal.
Frank, who gave this warning in a statement in Abuja, accused the President of capitalising
on his position as ECOWAS chairman to legitimise what he called “his stolen election mandate” in Nigeria.
He claimed that Tinubu’s warmongering over Niger was selfishly motivated as he sought to gain political capital by legitimising his administration and securing the recognition of international bodies that hitherto have not recognised him as duly elected president.
He warned the President not to lead Nigeria into war with Niger as the consequence of such an action would result in long-term economic, political and social devastation of the country.
He said: “It is clear to discerning minds that Tinubu wants to find an alibi to declare war in Niger and under that declare a state of emergency in Nigeria which will invariably lead to suspension of the ongoing sitting of the Presidential Election tribunal.
“He is not out to restore democracy in Niger Republic. He is out to legitimize and gain recognition for his government from western allies. Let Nigeriens solve their problems, Nigeria has enough challenges of its own,” he declared.
Frank, who is the United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP) Ambassador to East Africa and Middle East, also accused ECOWAS Heads of State and Government of not working to deepen democracy in the subregion by ensuring good governance.
He said they often remain silent when Presidents illegally steal the people’s mandate through electoral fraud and manipulate constitutional provisions to elongate their tenure in office.
“It is a shame that ECOWAS’ Presidents always jerks back to life when a fellow president has been dethroned like the present scenario in Niger Republic,” he said.
He added: “I condemn the coup in Niger and I will support all altruistic efforts to restore democratic governance in that country. But I reject moves by Tinubu to use the Niger coup as a ruse to overturn the ongoing court process meant to determine the actual winner of the February 25th, 2023 Presidential election.
“I call on well meaning Nigerians to dissuade Tinubu from leading the country into an unnecessary war which among others will inflict heavy casualty on our armed forces and breed more widows in addition to what Boko Haram, bandits and other criminal elements have done already,” he said.
He insisted that former President Muhammadu Buhari, a retired Army General, never went to war when there were coups in Guinea, Burkina Faso and Mali during his tenure “because he knew the implications. Why is Tinubu hellbent on going to war if not for self-preservation in office as President?”
