Connect with us

Politics

NIGER: Rhissa Ag Boula Launches Anti-coup Movement Against Military Jaunta

Published

on

NIGER: Rhissa Ag Boula Launches Anti-coup Movement Against Military Jaunta

NIGER: Rhissa Ag Boula Launches Anti-coup Movement Against Military Jaunta

 

NIGER– A CRR member said several Nigerien political figures had joined the group but could not make their allegiance public for safety reasons.

 

A former rebel leader and politician in Niger has launched a movement opposing the junta that took power in a July 26 coup, a first sign of internal resistance to army rule in the strategically important Sahel country.

NIGER: Rhissa Ag Boula Launches Anti-coup Movement Against Military Jaunta

Rhissa Ag Boula said in a statement seen on Wednesday that his new Council of Resistance for the Republic (CRR) aimed to reinstate ousted President Mohamed Bazoum, who has been in detention at his residence since the takeover.

 

“Niger is the victim of a tragedy orchestrated by people charged with protecting it,” the statement said.

 

The launch comes as diplomatic efforts to reverse the coup appeared stalled after the junta rejected the latest diplomatic mission and the army governments of neighbouring Mali and Burkina Faso, which back the armed takeover, appealed to the United Nations to prevent any military intervention.

 

Niger’s coup leaders denied entry to African and UN envoys on Tuesday, resisting pressure to negotiate ahead of a summit on Thursday at which heads of state from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) will discuss the possible use of force.

 

The CRR supports ECOWAS and any other international actors seeking to restore constitutional order in Niger, according to Ag Boula’s statement, which added that it would make itself available to the bloc for any useful purpose.

 

A CRR member said several Nigerien political figures had joined the group but could not make their allegiance public for safety reasons.

 

Ag Boula played a leading role in uprisings by Tuaregs, a nomadic ethnic group present in Niger’s desert north, in the 1990s and 2000s. Like many former rebels, he was integrated into government under Bazoum and his predecessor Mahamadou Issoufou.

 

While the extent of support for the CRR is unclear, Ag Boula’s statement will worry the coup leaders given his influence among Tuaregs, who control commerce and politics in much of the vast north. Support from Tuaregs would be key to securing the junta’s control beyond Niamey’s city limits.

 

The UN, Western powers and democratic ECOWAS member states such as Nigeria want the junta to reinstate a civilian government that had been relatively successful in containing a deadly Islamist insurgency devastating the Sahel region.

 

Niger is the world’s seventh-largest producer of uranium, the most widely used fuel for nuclear energy, adding to its strategic importance.

 

COMPLEX DIPLOMATIC PICTURE

 

But Mali and Burkina Faso, ECOWAS members that have rejected Western allies since their own juntas took power in coups in the past two years, have vowed to defend Niger’s new army rulers from any forceful attempt to remove them.

 

In a letter to the UN, they called on the Security Council to prevent any armed action against Niger, saying it would have unpredictable consequences such as the break-up of ECOWAS, a humanitarian disaster and a worsening security situation.

 

Accusing Western powers of using ECOWAS as a proxy to conceal a hostile agenda towards Niger, they said they were committed to finding solutions through diplomacy and negotiation.

 

Despite such assurances from its allies, the Niger junta has rebuffed repeated attempts by African, US and UN envoys to engage with it and the generals in charge have given no sign that they were prepared to make any concession.

 

The coup has already led to border and airspace closures that have cut off supplies of medicine and food, hampering humanitarian aid in one of the world’s poorest countries.

 

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said late on Tuesday that he had spoken to Bazoum to express continued efforts to find a peaceful resolution to the crisis.

 

“The United States reiterates our call for the immediate release of him and his family,” he posted on the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.

 

Nigeria’s President and ECOWAS chairman Bola Tinubu imposed more sanctions on Niger on Tuesday, aimed at squeezing entities and individuals involved in the takeover, and said all options were still on the table.

 

ECOWAS has said that the use of force would be a last resort. The bloc’s defence chiefs have agreed on a possible military action plan, which heads of state will discuss at their summit on Thursday in the Nigerian capital, Abuja.

 

Further complicating the diplomatic picture is the influence of Russia in the Sahel region, which Western powers fear could grow stronger if the junta in Niger follows Mali’s example by throwing out Western troops and inviting in Wagner mercenaries.

Politics

Aiyedatiwa is in panic mode, says PDP

Published

on

Aiyedatiwa is in panic mode, says PDP

Aiyedatiwa is in panic mode, says PDP

 

Ahead of the November 16 governorship election in Ondo state, the main opposition People’s Democratic Party, PDP, has said that Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa, the candidate of the All Progressive Congress, APC, was in panic over losing the election.

 

However, the APC has dismissed the PDP claim as hogwash, insisting that the governor would win the poll in a landslide.

 

PDP Publicity Secretary, Hon Kennedy Peretei, said: “As the Ondo election approaches the Zero Hour, those who said the election was a walk-over for them have been unable to have sound sleep, slipping into a ‘panic mode.’ A good number of them, who initially proclaimed that they are ‘Lucky’ are singing a new song, based on the realities they encountered on the field.

“The comfort of their offices from where they proclaimed being ‘Lucky’ are the exact opposite of the streets in which hunger and lack, walk in all four legs.

“The electorate sent the signal wherever the campaign train of Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa visited that there is pain in the land, orchestrated by the All Progressives Congress, Aiyedatiwa’s party. In their confusion, the National Chairman of APC, Dr Abdullahi Ganduje, in one breath, said the Edo ‘Template’ will be applied in Ondo State. In another, he said, the APC does not need to rig the Ondo election to win.

“This was the first sign that the APC national leadership has come to terms with the reality that nobody can rig the November 16 election, and they are not as lucky as they hitherto assumed.

“Having failed to convince the people why they should trust him with their mandate, some panicky measures were taken.

“Because they were not all well thought out, they all fell flat on their backs. The 416 political appointees, carefully selected from the 203 Electoral Wards were shocked to discover that, for October, 2024, they received no salary alert.

“What is the guarantee that, after losing the election in November, they will be paid? Are these not the same people shouting they are ‘Lucky’? They should know better by now.

 

 

“When the alarm that the N73,000 minimum wage was announced at a campaign rally was another promise that would never be met, some people dismissed it. Those workers who went to endorse the governor for another term should ask themselves again if indeed, they have been lucky with this Governor.

 

“After spending 10 months in the saddle, it is his programmes and projects that should have done the campaigns for Governor Aiyedatiwa. Instead, he is recruiting propagandists to lie to Ondo State people, as if we are blind and deaf.

 

“Out of fear of losing the election, the Commandant of Amotekun Corps, Adetunji Adeleye was drafted to head a 25-member security committee of the campaigns. Instead of apologizing to the people, the Spokesman of the Aiyedatiwa Campaign denied that such was ever proposed. How can anybody trust people who lie so shamelessly in this manner? Those who think Ondo State is lucky with this kind of administration should pinch themselves to be sure that they are not dreaming.

Continue Reading

Politics

Breaking: Suspended Lagos LG Chairman Writes Assembly, Seeks Lawmakers’ Forgiveness

Published

on

Domestic Violence: Lagos Assembly Urges Enlightenment Units In Schools

Breaking: Suspended Lagos LG Chairman Writes Assembly, Seeks Lawmakers’ Forgiveness

 

Suspended chairman of the Alimosho Local Government Area of Lagos State, Jelili Sulaimon, has pleaded with the state Assembly men for forgiveness, nearly a month after he was axed for non-compliance, defiance and unyielding attitude to the legislative House.

In a ‘Letter of Apology’ personally signed by the embattled chairman, addressed to Speaker Mudashiru Obasa and read on the floor of the House on Tuesday, Jelili agreed that his actions may have caused disrespect to the House.

Breaking: Suspended Lagos LG Chairman Writes Assembly, Seeks Lawmakers' Forgiveness

While expressing regret, he promised to henceforth show maximum respect to the House and work closely with the legislators.

The suspended chairman also informed the House, through a letter by his lawyers, that he had withdrawn the suit he filed against the Assembly before a Federal High Court, Abuja.

“I am writing to express my most sincere and heartfelt apology for any actions or inactions, misrepresentation or conduct on my part that may have contributed to the recent misunderstanding between myself and the esteemed Lagos State House of Assembly under your leadership.

“Upon reflection, I realised that my conduct and certain decisions I made might have been perceived as disrespectful or contrary to the standard of leadership and the mutual respect that defines the relationship between the Assembly and the local government leadership.

“This was never my intention. I deeply regret any discomfort or displeasure this may have caused your personality as well as the entire House.

“I have always held the Lagos State House of Assembly and your esteemed office in particular, in the highest regard.

“Any action or miscommunication that may have suggested otherwise was an unfortunate oversight on my part. I am committed to fostering a more constructive and respectful relationship going forward.

“Once again, I sincerely apologise for any inconveniences caused by my actions or inactions,” the letter read as Jelili promised to work closely with the House henceforth.

The House is yet to debate the letter.

Eromosele Ebhomele
Chief Press Secretary to the Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly.

Continue Reading

Politics

Speaker Obasa Congratulates Oba Akiolu At 81

Published

on

Speaker Obasa Congratulates Oba Akiolu At 81

– commends monarch’s commitment to public service

 

The Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Mudashiru Obasa, has congratulated His Majesty, Oba Rilwan Akiolu of Lagos as he marks his 81st birthday on Tuesday.

In a statement by his media office, Speaker Obasa, the Baa’sofin of Lagos, said at 81, the revered monarch remains committed to excellent community and public service with results that keep promoting the growth and progress of Lagos.

Dr. Obasa extolled the Eleko’s virtues, said Oba Akiolu, Permanent Chairman of the Lagos State Council of Obas and Chiefs, has constantly brought his wisdom to bear in the advancement of the traditional institution as well as the running of the state.

“Oba Akiolu remains a strong believer in the Yoruba tradition, a faithful custodian of culture and a traditional ruler whose knowledge has continued to help Lagos grow in leaps and bounds.

“His reign has mostly brought peace to Lagos just as the monarch has constantly sustained our traditional institution in the state.

“It is exciting to say that Eleko has always brought honour to the throne of his ancestors. His reign has been characterised by unwavering dedication and compassion for Lagosians.

“His guidance, advice and love for his subjects cannot be over-emphasised; his roles in our lives make him a worthy father. As the monarch, he remains our rallying point.

“A source of inspiration, Eleko’s leadership has actuated us to greater heights while bringing value to the throne and strengthening the bond that exists among traditional rulers in the state.

“On behalf of my family, colleagues, management and staff of the Lagos State House of Assembly, I celebrate you on this occasion of your 81st birthday and pray that your reign continues to be a blessing for our dear State and beyond,” the statement released by the Speaker’s Chief Press Secretary, Eromosele Ebhomele, said.

Eromosele Ebhomele
Chief Press Secretary to the Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly.

Continue Reading

Cover Of The Week

Trending