The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) on Thursday debunked the news spreading that its leader, President Tinubu has suggested a transition proposal in Nigeria.
In a communique received by the News Agency of Nigeria from the ECOWAS Commission headquarters in Abuja, the transitional proposal for Niger is fake.
ECOWAS also condemned the trending news in the French language making rounds on Agence France-Presse (AFP) online platforms as false.
The statement from the ECOWAS Commission in Abuja reads:
- ”The ECOWAS commission’s attention has been drawn to a report of a so-called ECOWAS proposed transition timeframe for Niger.
- “The report, which is in French and supposedly carried by AFP, is false and should be treated as fake news.
- “The demand of the Authority of ECOWAS Heads of State and Government is clear: the military authorities in Niger must restore constitutional order immediately by liberating and reinstating President Bazoum.”
Back Story
The response by the ECOWAS Commission headquarters in Abuja was necessitated following the release of a report on AFP online platforms on Thursday that stated that President Bola Tinubu had suggested a nine-month transition back to democracy for Niger.
On AFP X (formerly Twitter) handle, @AFP, a tweet posted on Thursday read:
- “Nigerian President Bola Tinubu, also head of the West Africa bloc ECOWAS, has suggested a nine-month transition back to democracy for Niger’s new regime –as Nigeria had done in the 1990s following military rule”
On the AFP, an article published on Thursday expatiated the claims as seen on the APX X handle by saying President Bola Tinubu, in a statement, says:
- “The President sees no reason why such (transition proposal) can not be replicated in Niger if Niger’s military authorities are sincere.”
The AFP publication also indicated that President Tinubu disclosed that there would be no relief from sanctions imposed by ECOWAS until the regime made “positive adjustments”.
According to AFP, the statement also read:
- “The soldiers’ actions are unacceptable. The earlier they make positive adjustments, the quicker we will dial back the sanctions to alleviate the suffering we are seeing in Niger.”.