President Muhammadu Buhari has given assurances that Nigeria will provide strong support to the Republic of Niger, which will hold its presidential and national elections on Sunday.
Mr Femi Adesina, the president’s spokesman, said Bukhari gave the assurance on Tuesday in Abuja, receiving in an audience former Vice President Namadi Sambo, who heads the ECOWAS election mission in the West African country.
The Nigerian leader applauded President Mahamadou Issoufou for failing to try to violate his state’s constitution and extend his stay in power after a maximum of two terms.
He said: “I come from Daura, a few kilometers to the Republic of Niger, so I should know a little about that country.
“The president is quite polite and we are in regular contact. He adheres to the maximum term prescribed by the constitution of his country.
“Also, we share more than 1,400 kilometers of border with that state, which only God can effectively monitor. I will talk to the President and provide his country with our support.
“We must do everything we can to help stabilize the Sahel region, which is also in our interest,” Buhari said.
In his remark, Sambo congratulated Bukhari on the successful return of abducted schoolchildren from the government’s science high school, Kankara, in the state of Katsina, as well as his 78th birthday last week.
He promised that ECOWAS would ensure peaceful and fair elections in the Republic of Niger, despite current political, legal and security issues, adding that meetings had already been held with stakeholders.
Vanguard News Nigeria