A group of 15 senior Nigérien politicians – including former President Mahamane Ousmane  Seini Oumarou  Hama Amadou and former prime ministers Ibrahim Mayaki and Brigi Rafini – sent a open letter to Tinubu on 10 August asking him to lift the harsh economic sanctions  warning that military action could trigger worse instability and calling for diplomacy to resolve the crisis...
	 
    
    
    
    
        
	
	      That the headquarters of the ruling Mouvement National de la Société de la Développement and house of its leader Seyni Oumarou were known to leaders of the rioters was hardly a surprise...
	 
    
    
    
    
        
	
	     Even with Amadou's popular touch absent from the race  there are other heavyweight contenders still in the 30-strong field  including the former president Mahamane Ousmane  former foreign minister Ibrahim Yacouba  one-time opponent turned government ally Seyni Oumarou  and the retired general Salou Djibo  who led the 2010 military coup (AC Vol 51 No 5  A coup to stop a coup)...
	 
    
    
    
    
        
	
	     While Seyni Oumarou was  as expected  overwhelmingly selected as its presidential candidate  this was only after the Niamey Appeal Court had confirmed the legitimacy of his party leadership team and its expulsion of a dissident faction led by its former Secretary General  Albadé Abouba  who then set up his own breakaway movement...
	 
    
    
    
    
        
	
	        Issoufou’s challenger in the 2011 presidential election  Seyni Oumarou  is still powerful  says a diplomatic source in Niamey...
	 
    
    
    
    
        
            Vol 5 (AAC) No 10 | 
            - NIGER
 - CHINA
 - BRIEFING
 
        
        
		
        
        
    
        
	
	     Despite that  opposition leader Seyni Oumarou wants proof of the cost-overrun...
	 
    
    
    
    
        
	
	      Seïni Oumarou  one of Tandja’s ex-premiers and likely presidential candidate of the formerly ruling Mouvement national pour la société de développement  was detained in August under the anti-corruption probe and released on bail in four days...
	 
    
    
    
    
        
	
	       The first casualty of the post-referendum future is expected to be the Prime Minister  Seïni Oumarou...