ECOWAS Suspends Niger Republic - Summons special meeting for Oct 30

Written by Duncan Wednesday, 21 October 2009

The authority of the Heads of State of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) yesterday suspended Niger Republic as one of its members.

In a bid to take the lead in resolving problems in member states, the government of President Mamadou Tandja of Niger was suspended for its failure to heed the decision of the Extraordinary Summit of ECOWAS Heads of State held in Abuja on Saturday October 17, 2009 to postpone the legislative elections in that country to allow for more dialogue.

A statement by the Presidential Spokesman, Mr. Olusegun Adeniyi, on behalf of President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, the current ECOWAS Chairman, explained that, “The holding of the elections today in total disregard of the authority of ECOWAS Heads of State and government is a clear move by the authorities in Niger to further entrench the constitutional illegality currently prevailing in the country.”

Accordingly, the statement said: “The Republic of Niger is therefore suspended from ECOWAS until constitutional legality is reinstated.”

The statement further explained that in the effort to continue to constructively engage the principal stakeholders in the Nigerien polity, ECOWAS would convene a consultative meeting of the major Nigerien political actors in Abuja on October 30, 2009 under the chairmanship of the ECOWAS Mediator for the Republic of Niger, General Abdulsalami Abubakar (rtd.)

ECOWAS leaders had during their last Saturday’s extra-ordinary summit imposed limited sanctions on Guinea Conakry and Niger Republic.

While the Heads of State announced the imposition of arms embargo on Guinea, it sanctioned Niger by refusing to support any of its candidates for elective posts in any of the international organizations across the globe.

Also in the case of Niger, the West African leaders considered the holding of the referendum of August 4, 2009 and the circumstances of its organization as against the letter and spirit of the Constitution of Niger and a violation of the ECOWAS Supplementary Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance.

The leaders called on the authorities in Niger to desist from further acts that might deepen divisions within the country and exacerbate the political atmosphere.

Subsequently, they “imposed sanctions stipulated under Article 45 (a) and (b) of the Supplementary Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance by, the refusal to support candidates presented by the member state concerned for elective posts in the international organizations; and refusal to organize ECOWAS meetings in the member state concerned.”

The ECOWAS leaders further urgently requested President Tandja and the Nigerian authorities to suspend indefinitely the holding of the legislative elections scheduled for October 20, 2009 in favour of dialogue with the other leading political parties in resolving the political crisis in the country.

The Heads of State in addition resolved to dispatch a high-level mission comprising President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf of Liberia, General Abdulsalami Abubakar (rtd) and the President of ECOWAS Commission Mohammed Ibn Chambas to Niamey to meet President Tandja on Sunday, October 18, 2009 to present the message of the summit and facilitate the restoration of dialogue between the stakeholders.

In yesterday’s statement by Yar’Adua suspending Niger as one of ECOWAS members, the regional body noted that for Tandja to go ahead to hold the legislative election signified a rejection of the appeal for dialogue and consensus to resolve the deepening constitutional crisis in the country.

It further stated that, “As it remains committed to consolidating the culture of democracy, respect for constitutional legality and the rule of law that it has championed for the past two decades, ECOWAS will not recognize the outcome of today’s elections in Niger.”

According to it, “The violation of the 1999 Constitution by the authorities in Niger, the intolerance of divergent opinions, and the muzzling of the opposition political parties are serious breaches of the ECOWAS Protocol A/SP1/12/01 on Democracy and Good Governance and constitute sufficient grounds for the imposition of sanctions on Niger in accordance with Article 45 of the said Protocol.”