The transition plan presented by the Niger junta for a three-year period to presumably establish a democratic government has been unequivocally dismissed by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
General Abdourahamane Tchiani, leader of the Niger junta, had said in a televised broadcast on Saturday night that the army will hand over power to the civilian government within the next three years.
According to him, his ambition is not to confiscate power but help the country out of its current conundrum.
“Our ambition is not to confiscate power,” General Abdourahamane Tiani emphasized in a televised address. He further stated, “Any transition of power would not go beyond three years.”
However, in a contrary view, the ECOWAS Commissioner for Political Affairs, Amb. Abdel-Fatau Musah, who made an appearance on Channels Television on Monday, voiced the West African bloc’s strong objection to the proposal.
“This offer is completely unacceptable, and ECOWAS insists on the restoration of constitutional order as quickly as possible,” Amb. Musah stated firmly, emphasizing that the commission had prior experience dealing with similar maneuvers by military regimes.
He referred to the situation in Niger, highlighting the creation of the “new” constitution in 2010, which was subsequently revised in 2017.
Musah posed a pointed question, “What dramatic change do you need in the governance architecture of the country to require three years to experiment with something else?
Expressing skepticism about the junta’s intentions, Musah remarked, “This is like subterfuge to throw ECOWAS off-course and then do whatever they want.”
Drawing comparisons, he pointed out that some other West African countries under military rule had been given about three years, yet they were now “negotiating” with their populations for an additional 18 months.
Putting the timeframe into perspective, he highlighted the fact that even a democratically elected president in Nigeria only has four years in office. Musah concluded by questioning the legitimacy of the junta’s decision to start with a three-year period and implying that it could extend beyond that.
ECOWAS’ response underscores its unwavering commitment to democratic governance and stability in the region, raising concerns about the motives behind the proposed three-year transition plan.
