Nigeria’s Acting President Goodluck Jonathan on Thursday in Abuja condemned all acts of gaining power or remaining in power via unconstitutional means in Niger Republic.
Jonathan, who is the current ECOWAS Chairman, was reacting to the reported violence around the Presidential Palace in Niamey, Niger Republic, on Thursday.
The Senior Special Assistant to the Acting President, Mr Ima Niboro, condemned the political unrest in that country.
“The ECOWAS chairman and Acting President, Dr Goodluck Jonathan, has expressed concern about the reports of shooting around the Presidential Palace in Niamey, Republic of Niger,” he said.
He further quoted Jonathan as calling on all Nigerien stakeholders, including the security forces, to resolve the constitutional crisis through dialogue and negotiations.
“The Chairman of ECOWAS reiterated the calls of the February 16, 2010 Summit of ECOWAS Heads of State and Government to sustain the mediation efforts of Nigeria, in close collaboration with the African Union (AU).
“To that effect, Dr Jonathan is consulting with the Chairman of the AU Mediation Committee, President Abdoulaye Wade of Senegal, and General Abdulsalami Abubakar, the ECOWAS mediator, with a view to ensuring the speedy resumption of the inter-Nigerien dialogue,” the statement said.
There had been political tensions in Niger since President Mamadou Tandja dissolved the country’s parliament and conducted a referendum to extend his two-term tenure.
The opposition condemned the August 4, 2009 referendum that would allow Tandja, who was scheduled to step down in December 2009 after the expiration of his two five-year terms, to stay in power until 2012.