President Donald Trump had last Friday designated Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern over what he called genocide against Christians.
He also ordered the US military to prepare for action in Nigeria to tackle Islamist militant groups, accusing the government of failing to protect Christians.
The ADC, in a statement on Monday, however, said military intervention would be counterproductive and threaten national unity.
‘We appreciate the American president and other world leaders for their concern about the security situation in our country. We will, however, urge that such concerns should be translated into supporting Nigeria to grow its democracy and develop its capacity to solve its own problems.
‘We believe that mobilising armed troops or even a mere threat of doing so would do more harm than good and ultimately prove counter-productive to our democratic aspiration and the long-term unity and stability of our country.’
The opposition party, which acknowledged that the scary security situation predated the Bola Ahmed Tinubu, however, accused it of complacency in confronting, frontally the menace of insecurity.
In the statement signed by ADC National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, the party accused the present administration of what it called structural and diplomatic failures, over the absence of foreign ambassadors in key countries.
It further claimed that Nigeria’s foreign policy has been personalised and reduced to the image and vested interests of Tinubu.
‘Under this administration, terror and violence have expanded their reach, from the extreme east and west of the north to its central part. On October 31, 2025, the very day that President Trump announces his concern about Nigeria, another terror group, JNIM, an Al-Qaeda affiliate which had been active in the Sahel region, announced a successful attack in Kwara State, which serves as a gateway to the southern part of the country.
‘The crisis that we face is therefore not about any ethnic or religious group being targeted for killing; it is an existential crisis that imperils all Nigerians. Quite significantly, it is also not about which region or religion has lost more lives; it is about every individual’s right to life. Life and death are absolutes, and they must never be reduced to statistics. The ADC believes that one life lost that could have been saved is one death too many.
‘The problem of insecurity in Nigeria did not start with President Tinubu. The problem is that President Tinubu has refused to acknowledge that the crisis has got worse under his watch and has refused to accept responsibility. Instead, Nigerians have been met with excuses, cruel silence or utter indifference, and political posturing that mocks the tragedy of victims and their families.
‘The ADC would also like to draw attention to the structural and diplomatic failures that continue to deepen Nigeria’s vulnerability on the international stage.
‘We would like to ask, why has the Nigerian government failed to appoint ambassadors to key countries, more than two years into its term? How can a government that has been boasting of unprecedented revenue success continue to give a lack of funds as an excuse for not appointing ambassadors? Why has our foreign policy become so deeply personalised, focused on the image of the president and his interests, rather than the image of Nigeria and the interests of the Nigerian people? Why are there still no unified national security strategies, no regional coordination, and no meaningful engagement with the communities most affected?
‘Under President Tinubu, Nigeria has declined both as a continental and a regional leader. Nothing underlines this decline more than the fracturing of the ECOWAS under his watch. A region that once looked up to us for direction and leadership on issues of democratisation and security now doesn’t think we matter anymore, as smaller countries watch us fumble aimlessly with our own domestic crisis. These failures are not isolated. They are all connected, pointing to a government that is so incompetent, so narrow-minded, and yet so blindly arrogant. ‘
The party further called for ‘a full overhaul of the national security apparatus, including an independent audit of operations, leadership, and strategy. Immediate appointment of qualified ambassadors to restore Nigeria’s diplomatic presence and strategic influence.’