‘Tell Nigerians the Truth’: ADC Challenges Tinubu on Military Shake-Up
The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to come clean with Nigerians on the true reasons behind the recent and unexpected overhaul of the country’s military leadership.
President Tinubu had earlier this week relieved most of the service chiefs he appointed about two years ago, a move that sparked widespread speculation and political debate.
In a statement issued on Friday, the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, said while the President, as Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, has the constitutional right to make such decisions, the timing and circumstances surrounding the changes raise serious concerns.
“While we acknowledge that the President reserves the power to make such changes as he may deem fit, we are somewhat concerned that this development is coming in the wake of widespread rumours of an attempted coup,” Abdullahi said.
He noted that most of the recently removed service chiefs had served for less than 30 months, with the current Chief of Defence Staff himself appointed just a year ago as Chief of Army Staff.
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According to the ADC, the government’s response to the alleged coup rumours has been marked by “deliberate obfuscation and outright confusion” in a matter that demands transparency and reassurance.
“The Federal Government owes Nigerians a categorical explanation about what truly happened,” Abdullahi stressed. “This decision has far-reaching implications for stability within the military hierarchy and could not have been taken lightly.”
The opposition party also expressed concern over what it described as the Tinubu administration’s growing distraction from pressing national issues, particularly the rising wave of insecurity across the country.
“Without prejudice to recent developments, it is obvious that the Tinubu administration is distracted. Insecurity continues to spread with terrorist groups staging a comeback in some parts of the country, while bandits reign supreme in others,” the statement added.
The ADC accused the government of focusing more on “regime politics” than on safeguarding citizens’ lives and warned that the wholesale replacement of military leaders could further fuel rumours and conspiracy theories.
Reiterating its stance, the ADC called on the Federal Government to address the issue transparently and reassure Nigerians that the country’s democracy remains stable and secure amid political tension in the region, particularly in Chad and other Sahel nations.
By PRNigeria
