Defence Minister Christopher Musa has said the officers who plotted to overthrow President Bola Tinubu’s government had so little support that ordinary Nigerians would have taken them down without the military’s intervention.

He described the plotters as a band of confused individuals who recklessly dragged clueless junior officers into a doomed enterprise.

Musa spoke on Arise News on Friday, as the general court martial of officers accused of involvement in the October 2025 plot continues.

“Even the civilians in Nigeria would have taken them down. So I think it was just foolhardy for them to have done what they wanted to do,” hThe minister expressed disbelief at the calibre of those involved, saying he shook his head when he considered who they were.

“I just looked at the people that were involved and I shook my head, because they are just a bunch of confused individuals that exposed very junior officers who didn’t know their left from their right, and now put them into this mess. It’s quite unfortunate,” he said.

Musa reserved particular sympathy for the lower-ranked officers, whom he described as victims of a senior officer’s recklessness.

On the ongoing prosecution, the minister said the process was transparent and that the accused were being given every opportunity to defend themselves.

“The investigation was very thorough. The prosecution is now ongoing, and the court martial will go as planned. We are giving them all the benefits to defend themselves.

“But the facts on the ground are very, very clear, and I can tell you that we are following all the processes. Nothing is hidden,” he said.

He was equally emphatic that the plot had no rational basis, given the state of the armed forces.

“They had no reason to do that. The country was going very well. The armed forces have been taken care of quite well. We’ve never had issues with our salaries.

“Efforts have been made to even increase our allowances. Our troops are doing quite well,” he said.

Musa also used the occasion to restate the case for democracy over military rule, saying the plotters had misjudged the national mood entirely.

“Democracy is far, far better than any military regime. And so this is an opportunity to show the junior ones that this coup doesn’t pay,” he said.

The plot, according to earlier disclosures by the minister, predated the Tinubu administration and centred on a disgruntled colonel who had failed the examination for promotion to the rank of brigadier-general.

The conspiracy first emerged in late September 2025 after intelligence was received by the Nigerian Army and the State Security Service, with the original plan said to have targeted the May 29, 2023 presidential inauguration.

The Defence Headquarters initially denied any coup attempt, insisting the arrested officers were only undergoing routine internal scrutiny, even as raids linked to the investigation, including a search of the Abuja residence of former Bayelsa governor Timipre Sylva, continued to widen its scope.

About three months after the initial denials, the military confirmed that the detained officers would face trial before a court martial.

The Anambra State Government, through the Anambra State Signage and Advertisement Agency, has announced permit fees for political parties and candidates seeking to deploy campaign materials and conduct outdoor campaign activities ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Under the new guidelines, presidential candidates are expected to pay N50 million for outdoor campaign permits, while senatorial candidates will pay N20 million.

The agency disclosed this on Friday during a press briefing at its headquarters in Awka addressed by the Assistant General Manager of ANSAA, Chika Ngobili.

Ngobili said the briefing was necessary to inform political parties and candidates about the out-of-home promotions and visual campaign guidelines for the forthcoming elections.

According to him, House of Representatives candidates will pay N5 million, candidates for the Anambra State House of Assembly N1.5 million, local government chairmanship candidates N2.5 million, while councillorship candidates will pay N100,000 before they can commence outdoor campaigns in the state.

He said, “The permits cover the deployment of campaign materials and activities including posters, public address systems, branded vehicles, banners, fliers, buntings, T-shirts, caps, street storms, campaign booths, rallies, and other related promotional materials within approved locations across the relevant electoral areas in the state.

“The guidelines were issued in line with the regulatory framework governing political campaign activities in Anambra State and ahead of the official lifting of the ban on campaigns by the Independent National Electoral Commission.

“The agency is formally informing political parties, candidates, advertising practitioners, media organisations, and the general public about the Out-of-Home Promotions and Visual Campaign Guidelines for the 2027 general elections in Anambra State.”

Ngobili explained that ANSAA is legally empowered to issue permits and licences for the construction and deployment of signage and advertisements, ensure environmental aesthetics, protect public infrastructure, and collect revenues on behalf of the state government.

He said the permit system was introduced to ensure orderliness, prevent visual pollution, protect public infrastructure, maintain professional standards, guarantee fairness and equal access to advertising spaces, and ensure proper coordination of campaign-related outdoor activities across the state.

According to him, all campaign materials intended for outdoor display by political parties, candidates, support groups, advertising agencies, and practitioners must first be vetted and approved by the Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria before deployment.

The agency also warned political actors against destroying or defacing opponents’ campaign materials.

“We hereby formally notify all political parties and candidates participating in the 2027 general elections in Anambra State of the mandatory requirement to obtain campaign permits from ANSAA before commencing campaign activities involving out-of-home visual promotions, rallies, branded materials, public address systems, and other outdoor promotional activities.

“We appeal to all political parties, candidates, their supporters, and members of the public to be considerate of other users of advertising and visual promotion spaces across the state and refrain from destroying, removing, or defacing campaign materials belonging to opponents.

“Such actions are unlawful and contrary to the principles of peaceful democratic engagement. No political party, candidate, individual, or support group is permitted to erect billboards or advertisement structures in any part of Anambra State except through duly registered and licensed advertising practitioners recognised by ARCON and authorised by ANSAA.

“We are also cautioning against the indiscriminate pasting of posters on public buildings, road signs, bridges, flyovers, drainage channels, public monuments, utility installations, schools, hospitals, and other prohibited locations across the state.

“ANSAA enforcement teams will monitor compliance throughout the campaign period, while violators of the guidelines will face sanctions in accordance with the laws of Anambra State,” he added.

Ngobili, however, urged political stakeholders to approach the electioneering process peacefully and responsibly, stressing that elections should not be treated as a “do-or-die affair.”

He also called on journalists and media practitioners to support the agency in ensuring a peaceful, professional, and orderly campaign environment across the state.

The Independent National Electoral Commission is expected to release the official timetable and guidelines for the 2027 general elections, which will usher in new administrations at the federal and state levels.