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.