The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has expressed concern over the sudden change in leadership of the Nigerian Army by President Bola Tinubu.
A statement issued on Friday and signed by the Special Adviser to the President Sunday Dare, Media and Public Communication, revealed that the President has appointed General Olufemi Oluyede to replace General Christopher Musa as the new Chief of Defense Staff.
“The new Chief of Army Staff is Major General W. Shaibu. Air Vice Marshal SK Aneke is Chief of Air Staff, while Rear Admiral I. Abbas is the new Chief of Naval Staff. Chief of Defense Intelligence, Major General EAP Undiendeye, retains his position,” the statement read.
The presidential spokesperson also revealed that the “changes in the hierarchy of the Service Chiefs in support of the efforts of the Federal Government of Nigeria to strengthen the national security architecture.”
But the ADC in its statement accused the Tinubu administration of “deliberate obfuscation and utter confusion on a matter that required crystal clarity. It stated that there is a nexus between the change in the military hierarchy and the alleged coup rumour.”
The opposition party maintained that “the Federal Government owes Nigerians a categorical explanation of what really happened.”
The statement signed by Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, ADC National Publicity Secretary, said: “While we recognize that the President, as Commander-in-Chief, reserves the power to make such changes as he sees fit, we are somewhat concerned that this change comes in the wake of widespread rumors of a coup attempt.
“We reiterate our previous view that the government’s reactions to the dangerous rumor have ranged from deliberate obfuscation to outright confusion on a matter that required crystal clarity.
“We note that almost all of the service chiefs who have been removed were appointed only 28 months ago, and the current Chief of the Defense Staff was appointed just a year ago as Chief of the Army Staff.
“We also note that this type of decision has serious and far-reaching implications for stability within the ranks and therefore could not have been made without compelling reasons.
“Therefore, our position remains that the Federal Government owes Nigerians a categorical explanation on what really happened.
“As an opposition political party, our interest remains the stability of our country and our democracy. In light of the developments in our neighborhood of Chad and the Sahel states, we are gravely concerned.
“Notwithstanding what might have happened in recent weeks, it is obvious that the Tinubu administration is distracted. Insecurity continues to spread with terrorist groups reappearing in some parts of the country, while bandits reign supreme in other parts. But this is not the reason why the government is changing service chiefs. Instead, the administration’s attention seems entirely focused on the politics of the regime instead of securing the lives of Nigerians. “This move will almost completely change the leadership of the country’s military, if anything, it will only promote even more rumors and conspiracy theories.
“We therefore reiterate our earlier position that the Federal Government must address the issue transparently and assure Nigerians that our democracy is not under threat.”