The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has called on President Bola Tinubu to be honest with Nigerians on the real reasons behind the sudden and unexpected change in the leadership of the Nigerian Army.
This is as the party expressed concern that the dismissal comes days after alleged rumors of a military coup in the country
ADC national publicity secretary Bolaji Abdullahi said that although the president has the power to make changes he deems appropriate, “we are somewhat concerned that this change is coming in the wake of widespread rumors of a coup attempt.”
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“We reiterate our earlier view that the government's responses to the alarming rumor have veered between deliberate ambiguity and outright confusion on a matter that required clear clarity.
“We note that almost all the service chiefs removed were appointed only 28 months ago, the current Chief of Defense Staff himself was appointed as Army Chief only a year ago”
The party also said the decision has serious and far-reaching implications for stability within the ranks, adding, “It could not have been taken without strong reasons.”
“Therefore, our position is that the Federal Government should give a clear explanation to Nigerians as to what actually happened.
“As an opposition political party, our interest is in the stability of our country and our democracy. In light of developments in Chad and our neighborhood of Sahel states, we are seriously concerned.”
The ADC said it was clear that the Tinubu administration was distracted.
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It said insecurity is spreading due to the return of terrorist groups in some parts of the country, while bandits are prevalent in other parts.
“But that is not why the government is changing service chiefs. Instead, the administration is completely focused on the politics of governance rather than securing the lives of Nigerians.”
He further said that the act of almost wholesale change in the leadership of the country's military would, if anything, only fuel rumors and conspiracy theories.
“We therefore reiterate our earlier position that the Federal Government must address this issue in a transparent manner and reassure Nigerians that our democracy is not under threat.”
