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| Mr. Peter Obi |
The Big Tent Coalition, under Professor Pat Utomi’s leadership, has fiercely denounced the Nigerian Federal Government’s blatant hypocrisy and muddled messaging over yesterday’s U.S. airstrikes on ISIS-linked terrorists in northwest Nigeria.
The U.S., partnering with Nigeria, carried out precise strikes in Sokoto State. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed the operation nearly 24 hours later, putting it officially on record.
This revelation highlights a shocking flip-flop. Just last month, the Presidency’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, slammed Peter Obi for saying he’d welcome U.S. military aid to bolster Nigeria’s security.
Onanuga even warned that Nigerians would “never forget nor forgive” Obi for backing foreign intervention.
Yet now, the same government has greenlit and verified U.S. military action on Nigerian soil. This isn’t just inconsistent, it’s a damning sign of a leadership that speaks impulsively, attacks recklessly, and lacks any coherent strategy for national security communications, the coalition said.
The Big Tent Coalition thus demands the Federal Government apologize to Peter Obi immediately.
“The Tinubu administration owes Peter Obi an immediate and unreserved apology. You cannot vilify a prominent citizen for expressing a conditional policy opinion, only to turn around and implement that very option in practice. This flip-flop exposes a government that lacks clarity, coordination, and credibility in its approach to national security,” Charles Odibo, Director of Media and Communication, Big Tent Coalition, stated.
Beyond the apology owed to Mr. Peter Obi, the Big Tent Coalition says it is deeply alarmed by the Federal Government’s disorganized and delayed communication on such a grave issue - foreign military operations on Nigerian soil.
While U.S. President Donald Trump announced the strike himself, Nigerians were left scrambling to assemble fragmented confirmations from various officials, nearly 24 hours later, the coalition lamented, according to reports.
This fiasco, it argues, raises profound questions about leadership, transparency, and the safeguarding of our sovereignty.
As Odibo points out, if Nigeria truly engaged in “structured security cooperation” with the United States, as now admitted, why did the Presidency remain silent? Why were citizens fed conflicting stories from different government branches?
And why did a presidential spokesperson rush to politicize and demonize a patriotic remark, only for the government to later follow the same path?
Nigeria’s security, the coalition maintains, is far too vital for propaganda, impulsive attacks, or empty posturing. True leadership, it said, requires consistency, humility, and unflinching honesty with the people.
The Big Tent Coalition, therefore, urges President Bola Tinubu to act decisively - direct his spokesperson to issue a formal apology to Peter Obi for the baseless assault; enforce discipline and unity in government communications on national security; and personally brief Nigerians on the nature, scope, and rules of all foreign security partnerships. Our nation deserves a government that leads with clarity and strategy, not chaos or pettiness, it concluded.
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