Politics
War Drums: Russian Mercenaries Arrive Mali
The drums of war that started beating since the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) signaled intention of deploying military force to restore democracy in Niger Republic has assumed another dimension with the arrival in Mali of armed soldiers from Russian mercenary group, Wagner.
Mali, herself, under military regime had declared loyalty to the coupists in Niger Republic, together with their Burkina Faso counterparts.
The berthing of the fully armed mercenaries with a cache of ammunition, just days after Leader, Wagner Group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, was seen in full army regalia, in a video believed to have been made somewhere in Africa, is sending jitters down the spines of the civilian population in the West African sub-region.
International media sources averred that Prigozhin had posited that the presence of his men in Mali was to help the military government of that country clamp down on terrorists and “any other interest”.
The phrase ‘any other interest’ is now subject of various interpretations across the sub-region, given that the military rulers of Mali had declared interest in backing their counterparts in Niger Republic.
Both countries had openly dissociated themselves from the positions of both the ECOWAS and the African Union (AU) following the ousting of President Mohamed Bazoum on July 26, 2023.
However, the ECOWAS’ Envoy to Niger Republic, Nigeria’s Abdulsalami Abubakar, a retired general and former head of state has expressed the opinion that the situation wasn’t likely to deteriorate.
He bared his mind to media men at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, after a meeting with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who is the Chairman of the Authority of Heads of State and Government of the ECOWAS.
It was gathered that President, ECOWAS Commission, Dr Omar Touray, and the National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu, also attended the meeting.
Gen. Abdulsalami, explained that he took advantage of his meeting with Bazoum and the coupists over the weekend to share ECOWAS’ position, while he had also delivered the peace terms proposed by the junta to sub-regional body.
The lines of dialogue and diplomacy having been effectively opened and alive point to his appointment as envoy bearing good fruits, the retired general highlighted.
Gen. Abudulsalami said, “The ECOWAS Heads of State and Government have made me an envoy to Niger Republic.
“We were there over the weekend to see the military people and discussed how to find a way out of the situation.
“That’s why I’m here, together with the President of the ECOWAS Commission, to report back to Mr. President on our discussions in Niger.
“I must say that our visit to Niger was very fruitful. It has opened an avenue to start talking and hopefully we’ll get somewhere.”
All these are happening while Mali and Burkina Faso, both members of ECOWAS, having pledged to support the military rulers in Niger Republic, already sent troops to Niamey as a backup to the Niger military.
On its part, ECOWAS has rejected the three-year transition plan hinted by Nigerien coup leader General Abdourahamane Tchiani, insisting on the use of force should dialogue fail.
The coupists are also not showing any signs of shifting grounds, and with international backing tending to be swelling in their favaour, the civil population in West Africa have cause to worry.
One of the voices of concern is former governor of Kaduna State, Nasir Ahmed El-Rufai, who called for caution, noting that firing of ammunition in Niger Republic would amount to a civil war within the WA sub-region.
According to E-Rufai, who made his positon on his verified X handle, @elrufai, sent clear caution signals to ECOWAS leaders against application of military force in the bid to restore constitutional governance in Niger Republic.
He cited the bloodlines flowing across the various divides of the geographical entities that constitute the WA sub-region and expressed his detesting any form of ‘brothers-in-arms’, which would have dire and unforeseen consequences.
He maintained that people of the Niger Republic were “one and the same with those living in Northern Nigeria,” indeed.
El-Rufai tweeted, “As ECOWAS beats the drums of war, I recall the 1970s rock classic by Dire Straits – ‘Brothers in Arms’, because a war within our sub-region is a war between brothers.
“Indeed, the people of Niger Republic are one and the same with those living in Northern Nigeria.
“Let us bend therefore over backwards to avoid this civil war between brothers.”
What makes this new dimension extreme is insinuations at the global stage that the coupists had the support Russia from the get-go.
They had also called for help from the Wagner Group, which Prigozhin assured he would offer.
According to a former Russian official, Wagner and the Russian state conspired to facilitate the military coup in the landlocked WA country.
“The recent coup in Niger was carried out in close cooperation with Russian special services and Private Military Company (PMC) consultants,” claimed Russian military blogger Mikhail Zvinchuk, a former press officer for Russia’s defence ministry, who uses the alias “Rybar”.
However, in the midst of the dramatics on the international stage, the civil population in Niger Republic were said to be rallying round their coupists, as video footages seen online suggest.
The Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, had also counselled President Tinubu and ECOWAS to explore diplomatic options for the resolution of the constitutional crisis in Niger Republic.
Similarly, the Northern Senators Forum (NSF) had also urged President Tinubu to exhaust all diplomatic options first.
Like El-Rufai, the NSF are concerned that deploying troops to Niger would not just dangerously expose, but hurt seven northern states, including, Sokoto, Kebbi, Katsina, Zamfara, Jigawa, Yobe and Borno, all of whom who share borders Nigeria’s northern neighbours.
A Political Adviser to President Bola Tinubu, Ibrahim Kabiru Masari, has dismissed former Vice President Atiku Abubakar’s ambition to contest the 2027 presidential election, describing it as a joke.
Masari made the remark while addressing members of the Jigawa State Academics Forum.
SEE MORE: ‘A Nation Cannot Escape the Bill’ — Atiku Questions Tinubu’s Third UNGA Absence
According to him, Atiku’s political ambition would not be achieved through what he described as desperation, insisting that the former vice president was aware of the situation.
“Even Atiku himself knows he is just joking and kidding,” Masari said.
The presidential aide also described the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the dominant political party in the country and framed the 2027 election as a choice between continuing the Tinubu administration’s programmes and returning to the opposition.
Masari highlighted infrastructure development, economic diversification, security and poverty reduction as areas the Tinubu administration was prioritising.
He also commended the Jigawa State Academics Forum for endorsing President Tinubu and Governor Umar Namadi for another term.
On education, Masari said the Federal Government was giving the sector priority, adding that the university academic calendar had stabilised and students were benefiting from federal student loans.
His comments come as political parties and opposition figures intensify preparations for the 2027 general election.
Nasarawa State Governor, Abdullahi Sule, has said the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) should be questioned if there were any irregularities in the conduct of the 2023 presidential election.
Sule made the remarks during an appearance on Mic On Podcast, hosted by Seun Okinbaloye, an Arise TV anchor, while responding to questions about allegations surrounding the 2023 presidential election and INEC’s handling of the process.
The governor noted that INEC was the body that conducted and declared the election, saying: “INEC declared that I won the election in 2023. INEC that determined the election.”
SEE ALSO: 2027: Tinubu Has Done Enough Good To Win Re-Election — Gov Sule
Speaking about claims that both Labour Party’s Peter Obi and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar believed they won the 2023 presidential election, Sule questioned how the APC could have manipulated the election against both candidates.
He said: “So who won the election between Peter Obi and Atiku? Take President Asiwaju out. So who now rigged each other between the PDP and then the Labour Party? Because you are saying that Peter Obi said he won, Atiku said he won—”
On concerns over glitches on INEC’s Result Viewing (IReV) portal during the presidential election and allegations that “something fishy” may have happened, Sule said INEC should provide answers if there were any irregularities.
He stated: “Well, if something fishy went down, it is INEC herself that would be asked that question.”
Sule also referred to subsequent elections conducted under the current INEC leadership, including the Osun and Anambra governorship elections.
According to him, APC lost the Osun election without similar complaints, while the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) won in Anambra.
He said: “You know, and so far, all the elections… he held the election in Osun, and they didn’t say there was anything wrong with that one, because APC lost. We had an election in Anambra, there was no problem about that one, because APGA won.”
“You know, so it is anywhere APC won now that there is a problem. It doesn’t… life doesn’t work that way.” the governor added.
Human rights lawyer and lead counsel to the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Ifeanyi Ejiofor, has urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to take preventive measures to protect former Anambra State governor and 2027 presidential candidate Peter Obi.
Ejiofor raised concerns over Obi’s safety ahead of the 2027 general elections, warning that any harm to the presidential candidate could have serious consequences for Nigeria’s political and democratic environment.
READ MORE: 2027: Peter Obi ‘Unfit’ To Govern Nigeria — Onanuga Declares
In a statement issued in Abuja, Ejiofor said Obi’s recent expression of concern about his personal safety should not be dismissed as ordinary political rhetoric.
He said when a presidential candidate publicly expresses uncertainty about his safety ahead of an election, the appropriate response should be “vigilance, sober inquiry and preventive action.”
“Nothing must happen to Obi,” Ejiofor said, calling on Tinubu to act now to protect the former Anambra governor and the democratic space.
The lawyer also cited recent developments surrounding the 2027 political season, including Obi’s complaints about difficulties faced by opposition politicians campaigning in some states and the controversy surrounding the obstruction of his convoy during a visit to Benue State.
According to Ejiofor, the circumstances require greater attention from government institutions, security agencies, political parties and other stakeholders.
He warned that if anything happened to Obi, the consequences could extend beyond the individual and potentially affect Nigeria’s already delicate electoral environment.
“If anything should happen to Peter Obi—God forbid!—the consequences would extend far beyond the individual concerned,” he said, describing the possible consequences as “disastrous and devastating.”
Ejiofor urged the Federal Government, security agencies, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), political parties and state authorities to ensure that presidential candidates can campaign peacefully and that voters can freely hear competing political views.
He also called for political disagreements to be settled through the ballot and the law rather than intimidation, coercion or violence.
“Prevention is wiser than mourning,” Ejiofor said, stressing that Nigeria should not wait for a tragedy before taking steps to address concerns surrounding the 2027 political environment.
He further appealed for an electoral atmosphere where every legitimate contestant can campaign, political parties can organise peacefully and citizens can freely listen to and support candidates of their choice.
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