The Presidency has offered clarification on President Bola Tinubu’s recent replacement of Nigeria’s service chiefs, dismissing suggestions that the move was linked to an alleged coup plot.
According to the Presidency, the decision was aimed at giving the military a new sense of direction and strengthening its capacity to tackle the country’s growing security challenges.
The Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, said Tinubu acted fully within his constitutional authority.
“Service chiefs can be hired and fired by the President. He is the Commander-in-Chief. He has the power to hire and fire,” Onanuga said.
On Friday, Tinubu approved major changes within the military leadership.
A statement issued by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Public Communication, Sunday Dare, announced General Olufemi Oluyede as the new Chief of Defence Staff, replacing General Christopher Musa.
It added, “The new Chief of Army Staff is Major-General W. Shaibu; Air Vice Marshall S.K. Aneke is Chief of Air Staff; while Rear Admiral I. Abbas is the new Chief of Naval Staff. Chief of Defence Intelligence, Major-General E.A.P. Undiendeye, retains his position.”
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Tinubu urged the newly appointed service chiefs to justify his confidence in them by promoting professionalism, vigilance, and teamwork across the armed forces. Dare noted that the appointments took immediate effect.
The announcement came days after Sahara Reporters published a report alleging that some military officers had plotted to overthrow the President. The report, which went viral on October 19, claimed that 16 officers were detained over the alleged plan and suggested that the cancellation of the Independence Day parade was linked to unrest within the military.
The Defence Headquarters, however, denied the claims.
In a statement signed by the Director of Defence Information, Brig. Gen. Tukur Gusau, the military described the report as “false and intended to cause unnecessary tension and distrust among the populace.”
Gusau explained that the Independence Day parade was cancelled for “purely administrative” reasons and that the detained officers were under investigation for “issues of indiscipline.” He stressed that the armed forces remained loyal to the Constitution and to the President.
Despite these clarifications, public speculation continued to trail the timing of the reshuffle.
Reacting to the rumour, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Tope Ajayi, said the change was part of Tinubu’s effort to refresh military leadership after two years of service by the previous chiefs.
“This is not a reaction to any rumour of coups. He is exercising his powers. The service chiefs have done two years,”
“We are fighting security issues — Boko Haram in the North-East, banditry in the North-West, IPOB and ESN in the South-East, kidnapping in the South-West, and other crises in the North-Central,” he added.
Ajayi further said the decision reflected the President’s plan to improve efficiency in defence spending.
“In the last 15 years, look at our national budget security taking the largest chunk. The President wants to deal with this matter once and for all, so that the money going into defence expenditure will be better deployed to fund critical infrastructure like power, roads, broadband, education, and healthcare,” he said.
He added that the reshuffle was in line with constitutional provisions, which state that all appointees serve at the President’s discretion.
“Every appointee of government, whether you are minister, head of agency, or service chief, serves at the pleasure of the President. Nobody has a secure tenure. The only two people in the Federal Government who have a guarantee of tenure are the President and the Vice President,” he said.
While the Presidency insists the changes are routine, the timing and the ongoing security challenges have ensured the conversation around the shake-up remains active in public discourse.