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The Big Tent Coalition, led by renowned political economist Pat Utomi, has condemned what it described as glaring hypocrisy, incoherence, and a lack of strategic clarity in the Federal Government’s handling of recent United States airstrikes against ISIS-linked terrorists in North-West Nigeria.
Ejes Gist News reports that the coalition said it is now officially established that the Armed Forces of Nigeria, in coordination with the United States military, carried out precision airstrikes against identified ISIS-linked elements in Sokoto State—an operation that was only publicly confirmed by Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs nearly 24 hours after it occurred.
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According to the coalition, the confirmation has exposed what it termed a “staggering contradiction” in the posture of the Bola Tinubu-led administration on foreign military involvement in Nigeria’s internal security affairs.
The coalition recalled that barely weeks earlier, the Presidency, through the Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, publicly attacked former Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, for stating that he would welcome U.S. military assistance if it contributed to improving Nigeria’s security situation.
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At the time, Onanuga reportedly accused Obi of endorsing foreign intervention, declaring that Nigerians would “never forget nor forgive” such a position.
However, the coalition noted that the same administration has now confirmed and defended direct foreign military action on Nigerian soil, describing the shift as evidence of hypocrisy and poor governance.
“Today, the same government that vilified a citizen for expressing a conditional policy position has endorsed and confirmed actual foreign military operations within Nigeria,” the coalition said in a statement. “This is the height of inconsistency and reflects an administration that speaks without thinking, attacks without reflection, and governs without a coherent national security communication strategy.”
Reacting to the development, the Director of Media and Communication of the Big Tent Coalition, Charles Odibo, said the Tinubu administration owed Peter Obi an immediate, public, and unreserved apology.
“You cannot demonise a prominent Nigerian for articulating a reasonable policy option and then proceed to implement that very option in practice,” Odibo said. “This flip-flop exposes a government that lacks clarity, coordination, and credibility in its approach to national security.”
Beyond the demand for an apology, the coalition raised serious concerns about what it described as the Federal Government’s disorganised and delayed communication over an issue as sensitive as foreign military operations within Nigeria’s borders.
The group pointed out that while U.S. President Donald Trump publicly announced the airstrikes, Nigerians were left in the dark until fragmented confirmations emerged from different government officials almost a day later.
According to Odibo, the delay and inconsistency raised troubling questions about leadership, transparency, and the management of Nigeria’s sovereignty.
The coalition questioned why the Presidency maintained silence if Nigeria was engaged in structured security cooperation with the United States, why Nigerians were subjected to conflicting narratives from different arms of government, and why a presidential spokesperson rushed to politicise what it described as a patriotic comment made by Obi.
“The security of Nigeria is too serious to be reduced to propaganda, knee-jerk attacks, and partisan posturing,” the coalition said. “Leadership demands consistency, humility, and honesty with the Nigerian people.”
The Big Tent Coalition called on President Bola Tinubu to formally direct his spokesperson to apologise to Peter Obi, restore discipline and coherence in official government communication on national security matters, and personally address Nigerians on the scope, rules, and implications of foreign security cooperation in the country.
The group maintained that without clarity and accountability, public trust in government handling of national security issues would continue to erode.
