The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) says only a government with no priority for its citizens’ security would go to war.
President Mohamed Bazoum of the Niger Republic was overthrown in a coup in July, according to colonel-major Amadou Abdramane.
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) ordered the deployment of standby military forces to the Niger Republic on Thursday during its second emergency meeting.
Debo Ologunagba, national publicity secretary of the PDP, responded to the situation in a statement on Sunday, alleging President Bola Tinubu is anxious to start a war in Nigeria by inciting the nation’s military to fight against the Niger Republic.
“The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) strongly condemns the desperation by @officialABAT and the All Progressives Congress (APC) to plunge Nigeria into a state of war by dragging our military into a needless conflict with Niger Republic,” he said.
“While the PDP frowns at unconstitutional change of government in any part of the world, our party holds that the situation in Niger Republic does not warrant any external peace-keeping effort and does not constitute any threat whatsoever to our national interest to justify committing our already overstretched military to harm’s way in a needless war.
“The insistence of the APC government to go to war in Niger Republic is already heightening tension in Nigeria.
“The PDP holds that nothing else can explain why the APC administration is eager to go to war in Niger Republic while it has practically turned a blind eye to the insecurity situation in our country, even with the mindless killing of over 500 innocent Nigerians in Plateau, Benue, Niger, Kaduna and other states of the federation since May 2023.
“Also distressing is that the APC is ready to deploy billions of naira to prosecute a needless war despite our ailing national economy, crippled production sector, energy crisis, massive unemployment, frightening fall in the value of the naira and excruciating hardship in the country occasioned by its ill-informed, hasty and ill-implemented policies.
“Such can only come from an anti-people administration that has no iota of interest in the security and wellbeing of the nation and its citizens.”
