Human rights activist, Omoyele Sowore, has alleged that President Bola Tinubu asked Mohammed Badaru to step down as Nigeria’s Defence Minister.
Naijaonpoint had reported that Badaru tendered his resignation on Monday night, citing health issues in a letter dated December 1, 2025.
The Special Adviser to President Tinubu on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, confirmed that the President accepted the resignation and thanked the minister for his service, adding that Nigerians should expect a successor announcement this week.
Sowore, in a Facebook post, insisted the president engineered the resignation to allow a defence leadership switch.
“He was asked by Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu to step aside to make room for former Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa to be appointed Defence Minister,” Sowore wrote.
Beyond Badaru’s exit, the activist also raised new claims around the defence ministry’s second-in-command portfolio.
He alleged that Nigeria was facing external pressure to drop the Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, over poor security performance and intelligence concerns.
“There are also strong indications that United States President Donald Trump’s United States military is pressing for the removal of the equally ineffective and utterly useless Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, citing serious concerns over intelligence sharing and collaboration,” Sowore added.
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