BY SEGUN ADEBAYO – The African Democratic Congress (ADC) says the Federal Government’s lightening intervention in quelling the Republic of Benin’s attempted coup, though heartwarming, has exposed how shabbily the insecurity tormenting communities across Nigeria is being treated.
Calling out the President Bola Tinubu-led All Progressives Congress (APC) administration for its slow and sometimes hesitant pace in responding to security challenges within the country, the ADC said the swift action in Benin also raises serious questions about the government’s priorities.
The Party, in a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, said the development is calling to question government’s performance on security, governance, and constitutionalism in safeguarding Nigerian lives.
While acknowledging that Nigeria’s decisive action in Benin remains commendable, the ADC argued that the contrast in handling domestic security failures has become too glaring to ignore.
The statement said: “The African Democratic Congress (ADC) welcomes Nigeria’s swift intervention in the Benin Republic following the announcement of a coup attempt. We commend the Federal Government for acting promptly to defend constitutional order in our neighbourhood.”
However, the party said any such intervention must still follow constitutional procedures, noting that military or security deployment outside Nigeria requires the approval of the National Assembly, as clearly outlined in the Constitution.
Further raising concerns over what it described as an inconsistent pattern in Nigeria’s foreign interventions, the ADC recalled the government’s hesitation during the instability in Guinea-Bissau, especially at a time when a former Nigerian President was reportedly caught up in the crisis.
The statement further queried: “Why were we not as swift in responding to the crisis in Guinea-Bissau, even when a former Nigerian President was trapped there? What determines when Nigeria acts firmly and when it delays?”.
According to ADC, such inconsistencies only fuel speculation that Nigeria’s rapid move in Benin may have been influenced by interests outside the country, a perception it says undermines Nigeria’s credibility as a regional leader.
The statement also said beyond foreign policy, the Benin action draws attention to something far more troubling; the government’s inability to act with equal urgency against bandits, terrorists, and violent criminals who continue to terrorise Nigerians.
The ADC said the question that President Tinubu and his security team should answer now is: “If Nigeria could respond decisively to threats across our borders, why has our government demonstrated such outrageous incompetence in dealing with domestic insecurity?”
Maintaining that no government can lay claim to defending democracy abroad while citizens at home remain at the mercy of violent groups, the Party said the first responsibility of any administration is to protect its people, adding: “A government that can act swiftly abroad must also act decisively at home.
“The defence of democracy does not begin in neighbouring countries; it begins in the protection of Nigerian lives.”
For the ADC, though unconstitutional change of government in the region must be rejected at all cost, the most effective way to prevent military intervention in democratic governance is for elected leaders to govern responsibly, improve citizens’ welfare, and allow opposition voices to flourish.
In stout defence of its position, the opposition ADC said: “The best possible safeguard against military adventurism is for elected governments to make democracy meaningful to the people by improving their lives and allowing opposition to thrive”.
