The Big Tent Coalition, led by Pat Utomi, has condemned what it described as the glaring hypocrisy, incoherence and lack of strategic clarity in the Federal Government’s handling of the recent United States airstrikes against ISIS-linked terrorists in North-West Nigeria.
Naijaonpoint reports that the coalition said it was now on record that the Armed Forces of Nigeria, working with the United States, carried out precision strikes against identified ISIS-linked elements in Sokoto State – an operation later confirmed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, almost 24 hours after it occurred.
According to the coalition, the development exposed a “staggering contradiction” in the government’s posture.
It recalled that barely a month ago, the Presidency, through its Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, attacked Peter Obi for saying he would welcome U.S. military assistance if it helped improve Nigeria’s security.
Onanuga had reportedly declared that Nigerians would “never forget nor forgive” Obi for allegedly supporting foreign intervention.
“Today, the same administration has endorsed and confirmed actual foreign military action on Nigerian soil,” the coalition said, describing the situation as hypocritical and indicative of a government that “speaks without thinking, attacks without reflection, and governs without a coherent national security communication strategy.”
Reacting, the Director of Media and Communication of the Big Tent Coalition, Charles Odibo, said the administration owed 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,” Odibo said.
Beyond the demand for an apology, the coalition expressed concern over what it called the Federal Government’s disorganised and belated communication on an issue as grave as foreign military operations on Nigerian soil.
It noted that while U.S. President Donald Trump personally announced the strikes, Nigerians were left to rely on fragmented confirmations from different officials almost a day later.
According to Odibo, this raised serious questions about leadership, transparency and the management of Nigeria’s sovereignty.
The coalition questioned why the Presidency maintained silence if Nigeria was indeed engaged in “structured security cooperation” with the United States, why Nigerians were exposed to conflicting narratives from different arms of government, and why a presidential spokesperson rushed to politicise what it described as a patriotic comment.
“The security of Nigeria is too serious for propaganda, knee-jerk attacks, and posturing,” the coalition said, adding that leadership demands consistency, humility and honesty.
The Big Tent Coalition called on President Bola Tinubu to direct his spokesperson to formally apologise to Obi, institute discipline and coherence in government communication on national security matters, and personally address Nigerians on the nature, scope and rules guiding foreign security cooperation in the country.