The Coalition of Civil Liberty Organization in Niger Republic, CODDAE, has asked President Bola Tinubu to sanction his administration for its alleged plans to coerce the judiciary to remove democratically-elected opposition governors of Kano, Plateau and Zamfara States.
The activists were reacting to fresh sanctions imposed on their country by Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS, which Mr Tinubu heads.
The ECOWAS, in it’s resolution last week, had imposed fresh sanctions on the military junta in Niger, following Gen. Abdourahamane Tchiani’s refusal to accede to its demands.
The regional bloc had earlier given the military leader seven days to reinstate President Bazoum Mohamed or risk sanctions, including possible military action.
But CODDAE said Mr Tinubu should be more concerned about “collapsing pillars of democracy in Nigeria” by averting descent to one-party-state before enforcing democracy in Niger.
Leading hundreds of Nigeriens on a peaceful public protest at Tribune Public Arena in Maradi, the coalition leader, Abdu Dan Neito said ECOWAS is inflicting more economic pain and hardship on the citizens rather than resolving the leadership crisis.
Mr Neito said Mr Tinubu is fixated on the Niger junta, but refused to mount equal pressure against other neighboring African countries where military leaders are heading.
The activist also called for appropriate sanctions by United Nations and European Union against Nigeria over the administration’s alleged repression against opposition parties.
They equally solicited the support of the 19 Northern Nigerian States as “brothers bound by economic, social and cultural ties dating back to the pre-independence era” to help in persuading the ECOWAS to lift the sanctions.
The coalition also conducted a special prayer to seek divine intervention over the crisis.
