The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has criticised President Bola Tinubu’s call for Nigeria to be granted a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council, describing the demand as “absurd” in light of worsening insecurity across the country.
In a statement on Sunday, the party’s national publicity secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, said the federal government could not expect to be taken seriously on global security matters while failing to protect citizens at home.
“The ADC finds it absurd that the Tinubu administration could be requesting a permanent seat on the UN Security Council even as bandits slaughter Nigerians at home and take control of some of the nation’s territories,” Abdullahi said.
He cited recent attacks in Zamfara and Katsina states, including the killing of dozens of villagers and worshippers, abductions, and extortion of farmers by armed groups. He argued that these incidents amounted to a breakdown of territorial integrity, with non-state actors effectively operating as a “parallel government.”
Abdullahi added that Amnesty International had reported over 10,000 deaths linked to armed groups as of May 2025, stressing that government inaction amounted to “tragic indifference” and evidence of lost control.
The ADC also faulted President Tinubu’s absence at the passing-out parade of 874 new Nigerian Army officers at the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA) in Kaduna on Saturday. The party noted this was the second consecutive year the president missed the event, choosing instead to attend the commissioning of the renovated National Arts Theatre in Lagos.
“With the dire security situation in the country, we would have expected the President to inspire and charge the new officers to give their best in protecting the country,” the statement said, adding that the president’s absence signalled “misplaced priorities.”
The party further accused the government of declaring emergencies over political crises, while neglecting the “existential crisis” in Zamfara and Katsina. It called for an immediate state of emergency on the security situation in Zamfara to end what it described as a “siege” on the state.
The ADC concluded that Nigeria’s push for global leadership would remain “laughable” until the government demonstrated genuine capacity and willingness to secure its own citizens.