The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has questioned President Bola Tinubu’s sack of service chiefs, asking the Nigerian leader to tell citizens the real reason for the action.
ADC, one of Nigeria’s opposition party, admitted that while President Tinubu has the power to take the decision, the move is suddden especially following reports of an alleged coup in the country.
Our position remains therefore that the Federal Government owes Nigerians a categorical explanation about what truly happened, the ADC wrote in a statement by its spokesman, Bolaji Abdullahi.
As an opposition political party, our interest remains the stability of our country and our democracy. In the light of developments in our neighbourhood of Chad and the Sahel States, we are gravely concerned.
President Tinubu on Friday reshuffled the security chiefs, removing General Christopher Musa as the Chief of Defence Staff. He replaced him with General Olufemi Oluyede (former Chief of Army Staff).
Major-General W. Shaibu was appointed as the Chief of Army Staff. Air Vice Marshall S.K. Aneke emerged as the Chief of Air Staff while Rear Admiral I. Abbas was named as the Chief of Naval Staff.
The move followed reports of an alleged coup leading to the arrests of some military personnel, a claim the presidency has described as untrue.
But the ADC has questioned Tinubu over the sack of the service chiefs, alleging that the government appears to have been “distracted” by the coup report.
Without prejudice to what might have happened in recent weeks, it is obvious that the Tinubu administration is distracted, the ADC said.
Insecurity continues to spread with terrorist groups staging a comeback in some parts of the country, while bandits reign supreme in other parts. But this is not the reason the government is changing the Service Chiefs.
The party argued that the near wholesale change in the leadership of the country’s military, if anything, will only further promote rumours and conspiracy theories.
