The African Democratic Congress, a registered opposition political party in Nigeria, has criticised President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Nigeria’s current Head of State and Government, following airstrikes conducted by the United States Africa Command in Sokoto State, a northwestern region of Nigeria bordering Niger Republic.
The party said the incident has raised serious questions about Nigeria’s sovereignty, leadership accountability, and the handling of national security under the present administration.
Okay News reports that the United States Africa Command, commonly known as AFRICOM, confirmed that it carried out airstrikes on Thursday, December 25, 2025, targeting locations linked to Islamic State-affiliated militants operating in Sokoto State. The operation was described by United States officials as a coordinated effort with Nigerian authorities, based on shared intelligence aimed at weakening extremist groups in Nigeria’s northwest.
Reacting to the development, the African Democratic Congress spokesperson, Bolaji Abdullahi, issued a strongly worded statement on Friday via the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, questioning the President’s approach to governance and security leadership.
“President Bola Tinubu has outsourced his most important constitutional responsibility, effectively taking a back seat in a vehicle that he is constitutionally assigned to drive,” Abdullahi wrote.
He further questioned the optics of Nigeria’s leadership in the international arena, stating, “When the President of Nigeria appears compelled to report himself to another head of state, even tagging a foreign President in a Christmas Day message, Nigerians are entitled to ask who is truly in charge of our country?”
While acknowledging Nigeria’s persistent security challenges, including insurgency and terrorist violence across several regions, the party said the protection of citizens must remain paramount.
“The African Democratic Congress (ADC) recognises the serious security challenges confronting Nigeria and affirms that the protection of Nigerian lives and the defeat of terrorism must remain a central national priority. We therefore support all lawful and effective measures aimed at saving lives and restoring security,” the party stated.
However, the ADC reiterated its long-standing opposition to the physical presence and operational activities of foreign military forces within Nigeria’s borders, warning against the long-term implications of such actions.
“Nevertheless, the ADC reiterates its long-standing opposition to the physical operation of foreign military forces on Nigerian soil. We must not allow our desperation today to compromise the sovereignty of our country in whatever form or guise,” the statement added.
The party clarified that its acceptance of the AFRICOM strikes was limited and conditional, describing them as an extraordinary response to a deteriorating situation.
“It is in this context that we accept the U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) airstrikes on ‘terrorist locations’ in Sokoto State on Thursday, December 25, 2025, only as a desperate measure that must not be allowed to substitute for a Nigeria-led action against its domestic security challenges,” the ADC asserted.
The ADC went further to blame what it described as administrative failures under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for Nigeria’s increasing reliance on foreign military intervention.
“As an anomaly, the action can only be justified in the context of the historic incompetence of the current administration under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in dealing with the nation’s security challenges,” Abdullahi quoted the party as saying.
“This is what happens when a government behaves as though governance is all about revenue collection and all other issues, including national security and diplomacy, could be treated as an afterthought,” the statement continued.
Beyond the military operation itself, the party expressed deep concern over how information about the airstrikes was communicated to the Nigerian public.
“The manner in which Nigerians were informed of this development is equally troubling. When it comes to politics and propaganda, the President addresses the nation directly,” the ADC said.
“Yet, when faced with an issue as sensitive, momentous, and consequential as a foreign military strike on Nigerian soil, the primary source of information was a social media post by the American President, while the only information coming from Nigeria was from a spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs,” it added.
According to the party, this communication gap reflects a failure to appreciate the historical and political weight of the incident.
“This reflects a frightening lack of awareness of the historic significance of this incident by the President of Nigeria,” the statement concluded.
The ADC ultimately called on the Tinubu administration to demonstrate transparency by publicly disclosing the outcomes of the airstrikes, including casualty figures.
The party urged the Federal Government to “inform Nigerians of the outcomes of the strike, including the number of terrorists reportedly killed.”
