Human rights activist Omoyele Sowore has stirred controversy by alleging that the resignation of Nigeria’s Defence Minister, Mohammed Badaru Abubakar, was not genuinely voluntary, as officially stated. President Bola Tinubu, according to Sowore, allegedly instructed the minister to step aside to pave the way for the appointment of former Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, as the new Defence Minister.
Official sources had reported that Badaru tendered his resignation on Monday, citing health challenges as the reason for his departure. However, Sowore disputes this explanation, suggesting that political maneuvers within the Federal Government prompted the minister’s exit rather than personal health concerns.
Sowore Reveals Alleged Political Motive
In a detailed Facebook post, Sowore claimed that the resignation was strategically engineered to allow General Christopher Musa to assume the Defence Minister role, highlighting that the reshuffle was politically motivated rather than health-related. He further alleged that the Federal Government is under increasing pressure to also remove the Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, due to perceived ineffectiveness and worsening national security challenges.
Sowore went on to assert that international actors, including the United States, are reportedly concerned about Nigeria’s defence leadership. He claimed that the US military has expressed serious reservations about intelligence sharing and collaboration under Matawalle, who is accused of having connections to bandit activities in Zamfara State.
He elaborated further in his post:
“The useless Defence Minister, Mohammed Badaru Abubakar, did not resign. 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. There are also strong indications that US 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. Matawalle is widely accused of having links to bandits in Zamfara!”
At the time of filing this report, neither the Presidency nor the Ministry of Defence has issued an official statement addressing Sowore’s claims. The allegations have fueled heated discussions across social media, with users debating the legitimacy of the stated reasons for the Defence Minister’s resignation and the alleged influence of political and international pressures on the decision.
See Sowore’s post below …
