Following the events of the recently concluded election run-off in Niger, opposition leader and former Prime Minister, Hama Amadou, has been arrested and held for questioning over his alleged role in ongoing post-election violence.
According to the country’s public prosecution service, Amadou was arrested on Monday to face “many charges” including “complicity” in demonstrations and property damage, “regionalist propaganda” and “of statements likely to pit people against each other”. This comes as widespread protests continue over the results of a presidential election that handed victory to the ruling-party candidate, Mohammed Bazoum over the opposition’s Mahamane Ousmane.
Amadou, a former presidential hopeful himself, had once been considered as the strongest opposition candidate heading into the polls in Niger. However, he was barred from participating in the election based on a conviction for baby trafficking, a ruling he believed to have been politically motivated. Following his exit from the race, Amadou threw his weight behind Ousmane.
What The Results Say
Provisional results earlier announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (CENI), revealed that Mohamed Bazoum picked up 55.75 percent of the vote in Sunday’s runoff and Ousmane 44.25 percent.
Reacting to the election numbers, Ousmane claimed to have narrowly won the polls, “The compilation of results … which we have in our possession through our representatives in the various polling stations give us victory with 50.3 percent of the vote,” he said on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, Bazoum extended an olive branch to the opposition, stating that he would be a president to “all Nigeriens”, going further to express confidence in working with Ousmane, “Knowing his wisdom, I would like to count on him.”
State Of Unrest
Two people have been confirmed dead and several others were arrested as a result of clashes between police officers and Ousmane supporters in the capital, Niamey. Among those killed was the bodyguard of politician Seini Oumarou, an unsuccessful candidate in the first round of voting on December 27 who had urged supporters to vote for Bazoum in the runoff.
President Mahamadou Issoufou is voluntarily stepping down after two five-year terms, paving the way for the first elected transition since independence from France in 1960.
