The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has criticised President Bola Tinubu’s absence from the 2026 Armed Forces Remembrance Day, describing it as a troubling signal of leadership vacuum at a time of deepening national security challenges.
In a statement issued on Thursday in Abuja by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the opposition party said the solemn national occasion demanded the physical and moral presence of the Commander-in-Chief, stressing that remembrance without visible leadership undermines its significance.
The ADC noted that Armed Forces Remembrance Day is not a routine ceremony but a defining national moment that calls for empathy, accountability and solidarity from the highest office in the land, especially as Nigerian troops remain stretched across multiple theatres of conflict, including insurgency, banditry and violent crime.
According to the party, the President’s absence on such a symbolic day sends the wrong message to serving personnel and the families of fallen heroes who continue to bear the heavy cost of Nigeria’s security failures.
While honouring fallen officers and acknowledging the resilience of military families, the ADC argued that true remembrance must go beyond wreath-laying and official speeches, insisting that leadership in moments of national sacrifice cannot be delegated, postponed or reduced to symbolism.
The party further maintained that remembrance should compel leaders to confront hard questions about governance, national priorities and the persistent gap between the sacrifices of the armed forces and the quality of leadership they receive.
“The physical and moral presence of the Commander-in-Chief on this day is not optional; it is a statement of respect, responsibility and shared sacrifice,” the ADC said.
The party concluded by urging Nigerians to reflect not only on the bravery and patriotism of the armed forces, but also on the kind of leadership required to justify such sacrifice, warning that without accountability and presence at the top, Armed Forces Remembrance Day risks becoming an empty ritual rather than a call to national duty.
