End Insurgency Like You Quelled Benin Coup, African Democratic Congress Tells Tinubu

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has said it welcomed Nigeria’s swift intervention in the Benin Republic after a coup attempt but urged the federal government to apply similar decisiveness in combating insurgency and banditry in the country.

The national publicity secretary of ADC, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, said the government’s ability to act quickly in the Benin case threw into sharp distinction over its slow and haphazard response to the banditry and violent crime devastating communities across Nigeria.

The party also expressed great concern about growing democratic reversal in the region, stressing that the best safeguard for democracy is good governance anchored on improved livelihood for the majority and tolerance for opposition.

Abdullahi, in a statement, said  Nigeria’s swift intervention in the Benin Republic was commendable, stressing that the federal government acted  promptly to defend constitutional order in Nigeria’s neighbourhood.

The party spokesman however, said in doing so, the government must now take the necessary steps to align this intervention with the legal provisions of Nigeria’s Constitution.

He added that while the unilateral action taken by the President might have been expedient, it still has to be subjected to the ratification of the National Assembly as required by the relevant sections of the Constitution for military or security deployment outside Nigeria’s borders.

“Even in commending the government, ADC cannot ignore the question that many Nigerians are already asking: why were we not as swift in responding to the crisis in Guinea-Bissau, even when a former Nigerian President was trapped there during a period of instability? That hesitation stands in sharp contrast to yesterday’s urgency. What changed? What determines when Nigeria acts firmly and when it delays?

“Consistency in our mode of operations, especially when it comes to our foreign interventions, is essential for any country that seeks to lead the sub-region on issues of democracy and stability. This selective reaction indeed gives credence to the allegation that what played out in Benin was at the behest of another, more powerful country.

“More importantly, the government’s demonstrated ability to move quickly in Benin raises an even deeper concern.

If Nigeria could respond decisively to threats across our borders, why has our government demonstrated such outrageous incompetence in dealing with domestic insecurity? Why has the government failed to respond with similar urgency and decisiveness even as banditry, terrorism, and violent crime still hold many of our communities hostage, displace families, abduct children, and parade themselves openly?”

Abdullahi added that a government that can act swiftly abroad must also act decisively at home.

He said the defence of democracy does not begin in neighbouring countries.

“It begins in the protection of Nigerian lives, the restoration of security, and the rebuilding of trust between citizens and the state.

“Without prejudice to our fundamental opposition to any form of extra-constitutional takeover of government, we reiterate that 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 and alternative voices to be heard,” he said.