The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has attributed the sudden change in the leadership of the Nigeria’s security architecture by President Bola Tinubu to trecent coup rumour.
Recall that the president had yesterday in a statement issued by his aide on media and public communication, Mr Sunday Dare, appointed General Olufemi Oluyede to replace General Christopher Musa as the new Chief of Defence Staff.
“The new Chief of Army Staff is Major-General W. Shaibu. Air Vice Marshall S.K Aneke is Chief of Air Staff while Rear Admiral I. Abbas is the new Chief of Naval Staff. Chief of Defence Intelligence Major-General E.A.P Undiendeye retains his position,” the statement read.
The presidential spokesman explained that the change in the hierarchy of the service chiefs was informed by the need to strengthen the national security architecture.
However, the ADC in its statement accused the Tinubu administration of “deliberate obfuscation and outright confusion in a matter that required crystal clarity,” claiming that “there is a nexus between the change in the hierarchy of the military and the alleged coup rumour.”
In a statement by the ADC spokesman, Mr Bolaji Abdullahi, the party said “the federal government owes Nigerians a categorical explanation about what truly happened.”
The statement reads: “While we acknowledge that the President, as the commander-in-chief, reserves the power to make such changes as he may deem fit, we are somewhat concerned that this change is coming in the wake of widespread rumours of an attempted coup.
“We reiterate our earlier view that the reactions of government to the dangerous rumour have veered between deliberate obfuscation and outright confusion in a matter that required crystal clarity.
“We note that nearly all the Service Chiefs that have been removed were appointed only 28 months ago, with the current Chief of Defence Staff himself appointed just a year ago as Chief of Army Staff.
“We also note that 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.
“Our position remains therefore that the Federal Government owes Nigerians a categorical explanation about what truly happened.
“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.
“Without prejudice to what might have happened in recent weeks, 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 other parts. But this is not the reason the government is changing the Service Chiefs. Instead, the administration’s attention appears fully focused on regime politics rather than securing the lives of Nigerians.
“This action of near wholesale change in the leadership of the country’s military, if anything, will only further promote rumours and conspiracy theories.
“We therefore reiterate our earlier position that the Federal Government must address the issue transparently and reassure Nigerians that our democracy is not under threat.”
