The Nigerian Senate has accelerated the confirmation process for the recently appointed Service Chiefs, rescheduling the screening from next week to Wednesday, October 29.
The decision was announced by Senate President Godswill Akpabio shortly after he read a letter from President Bola Tinubu requesting the Senate to confirm the new military leadership.
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Akpabio explained that the change in schedule was necessary to ensure the military heads could immediately begin their duties without delay.
Tinubu had urged the legislature to give expeditious consideration to the confirmation process to ensure seamless continuity and effective coordination within the country’s national security apparatus.
Consequently, the screening will be conducted by the Committee of the Whole during a plenary session on Wednesday.
The urgency follows Tinubu’s recent reshuffling of the top military brass.
As part of the changes aimed at strengthening the national security architecture, General Olufemi Oluyede, who previously served as the Chief of Army Staff, was named the new Chief of Defence Staff, replacing General Christopher Musa.
However, Major-General E.A.P. Undiendeye was retained in his position as the Chief of Defence Intelligence.
A presidential aide, Sunday Dare, confirmed that all the new appointments were effective immediately.
The major opposition party, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) criticised the timing and scope of the military reshuffle, demanding that President Tinubu provide a clearer explanation for the change.
In a statement released by party spokesperson Bolaji Abdullahi, the ADC asserted that the Federal Government “owes Nigerians a categorical explanation about what truly happened.”
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Citing regional instability in Chad and the Sahel, the opposition party expressed serious concern for the stability of Nigeria’s democracy following the abrupt change in military command.
