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Defence spokesman
Major-General Chris Olukolade
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The military pledged not
to get involved in party politics on Wednesday, after concerns grew about its
role in pushing for the country's presidential election to be delayed by six
weeks.
Media reports say Defence spokesman
Major-General Chris Olukolade noted "the palpable tension being generated
... with regards to the roles of the Nigerian military in the ongoing political
activities and recent developments, especially in relation to electioneering."
"It is important to
reassure Nigerians that the military will remain professional, apolitical and
non-partisan in all operations ... related to (elections)," he said in a
statement.
The military faced
accusations of interference when chairman of the electoral commission Attahiru
Jega revealed that the office of the National Security Advisor had written a
letter to him saying that unless he delayed the Feb. 14 election, it could not
guarantee his security.
It urged a six week delay
to enable them to contain the Islamist Boko Haram insurgency.
There have also been
reports in the local press that the military colluded with the ruling People's
Democratic Party (PDP) to try to influence the election in Ekiti state in May,
a claim the military has not directly commented on.
Nigeria's decision to
delay the poll on the advice of security forces was a worrying echo for some of
the annulment of 1993's democratic vote by a military government.
President Goodluck
Jonathan's PDP had pushed for a delay, while his main opponent Muhammadu Buhari
of the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) had urged the vote go ahead
on time, arguing that a six-year old insurgency was hardly going to be solved
in six weeks.
But
the PDP also argued that the commission was not ready because millions of
voters had not picked up their PVCs.
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