If The Supreme Court Orders Rerun, War Against Niger Could Allow Tinubu Postpone Elections

There are major worries that President Bola Tinubu could postpone the presidential election by four years should the Supreme Court order a rerun amid rising tensions over a probable military invasion of the Niger Republic, which could turn into a full-blown war.

With other contenders contesting his victory at the tribunal, where the matter has been pending for months, Mr. Tinubu was declared the winner of the presidential election on March 1 after being found to have won in a fraudulent election. The Electoral Act, which stipulates that petitions must be decided after 180 days, will nonetheless need the court to render a decision by no later than September 16.

Angry parties must appeal the tribunal’s decision to the Supreme Court for a stronger ruling, which must be delivered within 60 days, about mid-November.

No Difference Between What Is Happening In Nigeria And Niger Republic – Aisha Yesufu

The top court may order a rerun between the top three candidates, Mr. Tinubu (8.1 million votes), Atiku Abubakar of the PDP (6.9 million votes), and Peter Obi of the Labour Party (6.1 million votes), to settle the conflict given the importance of the issue and the wealth of documents already admitted as evidence by the three candidates.

However, Mr. Tinubu, who may already be occupying the Niger Republic by November and holding the powers of the presidency, has the constitutional authority to postpone an election if the National Assembly agrees to his request.

It is quite doubtful that the Senate, which is led by Mr. Tinubu’s ardent supporter and strong ally Godswill Akpabio, will vote against him in order to secure the position.

Additionally, 59 of the 109 senators are members of the All Progressives Congress (APC), which is now in power. If it meant postponing a court order, they would provide the president all the assistance required to guarantee that his demands are quickly granted.

Niger Coup: Atiku Warns ECOWAS Against Military Action

Mr. Tinubu briefed the National Assembly on the proposed military action by ECOWAS and other penalties against the Niger Republic coup plotters on Friday. If necessary, getting consent to postpone the election appears to be a matter of thunderous ayes over minority nays.

Section 135 (3) of the constitution states that “If the federation is at war in which the territory of Nigeria is physically involved and the President considers that it is not practicable to hold elections, the National Assembly may by resolution extend the period of four years mentioned in subsection (2) of this section from time to time; but no such extension shall exceed a period of six months at any one time.”

Although it may seem unlikely that the Niger Republic, which has a population of only approximately 25 million, would be simple to defeat, one can never be too sure in battles, especially one where Mali, Burkina Faso, and possibly Russia are allied.

A strong argument might be made that the United States invaded Afghanistan in 2001 to remove the Taliban in response to the September 11 attacks, which resulted in thousands of deaths from a series of coordinated explosions planned by Al-Qaeda terrorist Osama Bin Laden.

Niger Coup: Nigeria Cuts Off Electricity Supply To Niger Republic

An invasion that was supposed to last a few weeks actually lasted decades, and after 20 years the U.S. administration finally withdrew its forces from Afghanistan in shame and humiliation.

Another illustration that illustrates the unpredictability of the duration of a war.

Based on the belief that Saddam Hussein was producing WMD, American forces invaded Iraq with the assistance of allies. This assertion could not be supported by any evidence. The U.S. government did not withdraw its soldiers from Iraq after the invasion of the Muslim-majority country in March 2003 until 2011.

The most recent example is when Russia invaded Ukraine and demilitarised it as a result of Ukraine’s desire to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO). The fight has continued for more than 18 months.

As the ECOWAS seven-day deadline for Abdouramane Tchiani to relinquish control approaches its final 24 hours, the Niger Republic, which is governed by a military dictatorship, should not be taken lightly.

Mr. Tchiani severed diplomatic ties with Nigeria, the United States, Togo, and France on Thursday. He made the bold action of recalling the country’s diplomats, demonstrating his determination to control Niger.

Niger Coup: Military Leaders Appoint New Governors To Take Charge Of 8 Regions

Because of Niger’s vast uranium reserves, a heavy metal needed to power nuclear reactors and treat cancer patients, the United States is very interested in the country. However, in the wrong hands, it may be fatal.

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