Yar’adua summons emergency ECOWAS summit over Niger, others

Written by Duncan Tuesday, 13 October 2009

President Mamadou Tandja of Niger and his Mauritanian and Guinean counterparts are threatening the peace and stability of the West African sub-region, President Umaru Musa Yar’adua said yesterday, summoning an emergency meeting of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Heads of States to address the political crisis in the three countries.

Speaking while hosting members of the ECOWAS Parliament ad-hoc Committee on Niger Republic at the State House, Abuja, President Yar’adua said recent political developments in Mauritania, Guinea Conakry and Niger Republic constitute a threat to the sub-region’s stability.

“The actions of the military leaders in Guinea are contrary to all agreements reached, while my brother in Niger has continued to take steps which are sending wrong signals to the whole world. We have shed too much blood and lost so much materially, in the fight for democracy, and therefore cannot afford any more conflicts”, he said.

As part of efforts to resolve the crises, President Yar’adua said he has summoned an emergency Summit of ECOWAS’ Heads of State to consider the “grave” threat to democracy in Niger Republic and Guinea Conakry. He commended the ECOWAS Parliament for its efforts in finding a solution the political crisis in Niger Republic, and urged the Ad-Hoc Committee to present its position to the ECOWAS Summit.

Earlier, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, Nigeria’s Deputy Senate President and First Deputy Speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament had briefed President Yar’adua about the Nigerien crisis.