A former presidential aspirant of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim, has urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu against using military option to restore the ousted civilian government in Niger Republic.
He said this in a statement in Abuja on Sunday.
“The invasion of Niger Republic may achieve the objective of removing the military Junta in Niamey, it has the potential of escalating the security problem in the North West and North East of Nigeria as the remnant of the fleeing men loyal to the Junta will hibernate in forests between Nigeria and Niger to escalate what the bandits have been doing to Nigeria in the past few years,” he said.
ECOWAS, led by Tinubu, last Thursday said although it is exploring diplomatic solutions to the Niger Republic crisis, it will not rule out a possible military action to achieve the unconditional release and reinstatement of President Mohamed Bazoum.
Olawepo-Hashim, however, reiterated that nations go to war to protect their national interests, warning that Nigeria has none in Niger.
“Nigeria must return to its traditional foreign policy of pursuing peace and security in Africa, policy of Non-Aggression and Non-Alignment. We must remain Non Aligned to the interests of any foreign power at the Global stage as formulated by our founding fathers at independence. The policy of non-alignment championed by Nigeria and India earned the nation respect and friendship all over the world,” he said.
He stated that, “Africa cannot afford another security mess similar to what happened after the invasion of Libya and overthrow of Muammar Gadaffi in 2012 that destabilised the entire Sahel region, and Nigeria is still battling with the consequences in mounting security problems in the North West and North East regions.”
He urged the ECOWAS to employ “constructive engagement and diplomacy” in ensuring that democratic structures are restored in the country.
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