Mohamed Bazoum was invested in Niamey on Friday, April 2nd. He succeeds his 30-year-old friend, Mahamadou Issoufou. For the first time since the country’s independence, two democratically elected presidents pass the baton. A vision that does not share the political opposition, which continues to challenge the election of Mohamed Bazoum.
Despite the investment, the opposition is far from having its last word. “Mahamane Ousmanes and the Cap 20/21 coalition remain the same. This is an option, explains a coalition leader.
The day before the inauguration, the opposition candidate’s lawyer Maître Abdourahmane Lirwana filed a challenge against one of the judges at the Constitutional Court. On the same day, in a press release, Coalition Cap 20/21 and its allies urged Nigeria not to be distracted from the election protest and to resume peaceful marches.
However, the first call to demonstrate at the beginning of the week, in the regional capitals, was not followed. “The strong repression of the crisis after the election has undoubtedly calmed the opposition,” explains political scientist Abdoul Karim Saidou. But the opposition, and especially the Lumana party, hold Niamey, which gives them a strong potential for inconvenience, he concludes.
For some observers, one of the keys to unlocking this political block is the release of Hama Amadou, leader of Lumana.
Asked about this point in an interview given to RFI and France 24 on Sunday, Mohamed Bazoum said he did not ask himself that question.
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