‘Abrupt and worrisome’ — ADC asks Tinubu to explain sudden change of service chiefs after alleged coup plot

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has asked President Bola Tinubu to be transparent with Nigerians on the reasons behind the sudden shake-up in the leadership of the Nigerian military.

Tinubu approved sweeping changes in the nation’s military leadership on Friday.

In a statement, Bolaji Abdullahi, national publicity secretary of the ADC, said while Tinubu, as commander-in-chief, has the constitutional authority to make such appointments, the timing of the changes had raised public concern.

Abdullahi said the decision to replace nearly all the service chiefs was “abrupt and worrisome”, especially as it comes amid widespread rumours of an attempted coup.

“We reiterate our earlier view that the reactions of the government to the dangerous rumour have veered between deliberate obfuscation and outright confusion in a matter that required crystal clarity,” he said.

He noted that most of the affected service chiefs were appointed only 28 months ago, with the current chief of defence staff having served just one year as chief of army staff before his promotion.

“This kind of decision has serious and far-reaching implications for stability within the ranks and therefore could not have been taken without strong reasons,” Abdullahi said.

The ADC spokesperson maintained that the federal government owes Nigerians a categorical explanation of what truly happened.

“As an opposition political party, our interest remains the stability of our country and our democracy,” he added.

Abdullahi said the ADC was deeply worried by recent developments in neighbouring Chad and other Sahel states, noting that Nigeria could not afford instability within its armed forces.

He accused the Tinubu administration of being “distracted,” saying insecurity continues to worsen while the government appears more focused on politics than governance.

“Insecurity continues to spread with terrorist groups staging a comeback in some parts of the country, while bandits reign supreme in other parts,” he said.

He added that the near-total change in military leadership would only fuel more speculation and conspiracy theories.

“The federal government must address the issue transparently and reassure Nigerians that our democracy is not under threat,” Abdullahi said.

The ADC had earlier urged the federal government to clarify the true nature of the rumours of a thwarted coup and “address the nation transparently if any threat truly exists”.

On October 18, the Defence Headquarters (DHQ) dismissed reports claiming that the cancellation of Nigeria’s 65th independence anniversary events was linked to an alleged military coup attempt.