The appeal made by President Bola Tinubu to the Senate for approval to send Nigerian troops to the Niger Republic as part of an ECOWAS force to reinstate the democratically elected president of the country was not granted by the Senate.
On July 26, his presidential guards organised a coup that resulted in the removal of President Mohamed Bazoum from office.
At a summit held in Abuja four days after the coup, ECOWAS leaders issued an ultimatum to the leaders of the coup, giving them seven days to restore constitutional order or face the possibility of force being used.
Sanctions were placed on the leaders of the coup by the regional body, and Nigeria responded by cutting off electrical supplies and closing its borders with the impoverished West African nation.
In response to the fact that the leaders of the coup refused to renounce their actions, the West African defence chiefs announced that they had devised a plan for military action.
As part of this plan, President Tinubu wrote to the Senate requesting approval to involve Nigerian troops in the attack.
On the other hand, during a closed-door meeting on Saturday, the senators unanimously decided to refuse the president’s request urging him to intensify negotiations with coup leaders by sending elderstatemen like Obasanjo, Gen Ali Gusau and Abdulsalam Abubakar as special envoys for negotiations.
According to Premium Times, a senator who attended the meeting revealed that the senators agreed to pass a resolution condemning the coup and to commend ECOWAS leaders on their efforts to restore constitutional order in Niger, but they ruled out military options.
“Almost all the senators spoke and totally ruled out the military options because of many factors and also because of the harmonious relationship that Nigeria and Niger has always enjoyed.
“Senators instead urged President Tinubu to intensify negotiation with the coup leaders by again sending a high-powered delegation to Niamey. Someone suggested that elderstatemen like Obasanjo, Gen Ali Gusau and Abdulsalam Abubakar should be sent as special envoys to dialogue and seek a diplomatic solution.
“Senators opposed to military action pointed out that our military is highly ill-equipped and not prepared to fight any war.They said that we have fragile peace in Nigeria and that Niger is the highest arms market in Africa.
“Senators believe that the Federal Government should focus on solving the Boko Haram, banditry and ESN/IPOB menaces ravaging the country instead of contemplating going to war in a foreign country. ”
Over 90 per cent of senator who spoke are vehement against sending troops/military action.”