LAGOS, Feb. 20 (Xinhua) -- A three-member Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS)delegation is already in Niger for political consultations following Thursday's military coup.

Former ECOWAS President Mohammed Ibn Chambas told reporters in Abuja on Friday that the team arrived in the Nigerien capital Niamey in the day, hoping to make contacts with those in authority in the country.

"We have just arrived, we are hoping to make contact and have discussions with them," the News Agency of Nigeria quoted Chambas as saying.

Nigerian Acting President Goodluck Jonathan on Thursday in Abuja condemned all acts of gaining power or remaining in power through unconstitutional means in Niger.

Jonathan, who is the current ECOWAS chairman, called on all Nigerien stakeholders, including the security forces, to resolve the constitutional crisis through dialogue and negotiations.

There had been political tensions in Niger since President Mamadou Tandja dissolved the country's parliament and conducted a referendum to elongate his two-term tenure last years.

The opposition condemned the Aug. 4, 2009 referendum to allow Tandja to finish his tenure extension in 2012, instead of stepping down in December 2009, at the expiration of two five-year terms.

Tandja and several cabinet ministers were taken to a military camp near the capital. The military junta has suspended the constitution and government insitutions. The 15-nation bloc has witnessed a series of coups in its member states since 2008, vowing not to allow the notorious coup culture to make a comeback in West Africa.