The Nigerian Senate, yesterday, urged President Goodluck Jonathan and other African leaders to take military action against the junta in Mali if they fail to immediately restore the democratically elected government of President Amadou Toure.
It also resolved to urge the Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS; United Nations, UN and the African Union, AU to immediately impose sanctions on Mali if the mutineers fail to restore democracy.
Senate President, David Mark, condemning the mutiny in Mali following a motion moved by Senate Leader, Victor Ndoma-Egba, maintained that the coup plotters must be chased out of power.
He said: “Clearly, we need to show leadership and it is not just leadership by words but leadership by deeds and if we are able to put together ECOWAS even though we are not in government now, to come out in whatever way to let the Malians know that we cannot fold our hands and allow non-democratic government to come to power through whatever means, then we should be able to do it. It is important that we make that very clear to them.
“It is true that coup used to be infectious in those days, but then it was the order of the day then. Every country in Africa was finding its military in governance, but I think they have since learnt their lesson that it is not the order of the day anymore. It is an aberration now, not just a mere aberration. If it happened, it must be condemned and if possible, they will be asked to go and if they do not go on their own, they will be forced to leave the scene.
“We should start the campaign to warn the Malians that if they do not, we put the whole of ECOWAS together and if it becomes necessary, intervene to help the ordinary Malian in the street to restore Toure because he has only one month to go. Nobody can actually understand the haste that the military cannot wait any longer. It simply does not make sense. Those who have come in, whether mutineers or coupist, should be told in clear terms that we will not allow it.”
Senators react – Senators, during consideration of the motion, condemned the military takeover and called for urgent return of democracy in Mali.
Senators Abdul Ningi, PDP, Bauchi;, James Manager, PDP, Delta; Ganiyu Solomon and Buka Abba Ibrahim, ANPP, Yobe advised that military action be taken against the coup plotters if they did not restore President Toure to power.
Senator Ningi in his contribution stressed that military action should be taken by African countries to discourage further coups in the continent, saying: “What is important is for Nigeria to draw lesson from what happened in Mali. We must get involved both democratically and militarily. That is what America does.”
But Senators Ahmed Makarfi, PDP, Kaduna, and Sani Saleh, CPC, Kaduna called for caution, pointing out that Nigerian military is over stretched at the moment due to internal insecurity challenges.
Saleh said: “I want to caution that the Nigerian military is over-stretched in internal security, let us not hastily engage them.”
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