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Service Chiefs at a meeting (Image source: TheCable)
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The Nigerian military has dismissed fears that it was
planning to truncate the country’s democracy, maintaining that it would remain
“apolitical” despite the “palpable tension”.
Messages have been circulating on the social media
that the military was ready to take over from President Goodluck Jonathan in a
coup rather than allow Muhammadu Buhari, candidate of the All Progressives
Congress (APC), to win the presidential election.
Chris Olukolade, a major general and defence
spokesman, said in a statement on Wednesday that “all military personnel have
been reminded and warned to remain ever conscious of their service oath and
solemn commitment to protect the constitution of the Federal Republic of
Nigeria even while remaining loyal to constituted authorities in the country”.
GRAPHITTI NEWS, based on monitored reports, gathers Olukolade further assured Nigerians and the international
community that military the leadership “being products and beneficiaries of the
nation’s democratic processes themselves, continue to cherish highly, the
nation’s democracy”.
He said they “will therefore not engage in, condone or
encourage any act that has capacity to undermine or subvert any aspect of the
democratic processes”.
Olukolade said Nigerians and the friends of the
country “should be reassured that the Nigerian Armed Forces believes strongly
in the prospects of the country under a democratic rule and will continue to
discharge its responsibility to support our democracy as constitutionally
guaranteed”.
The military has come into public scrutiny since
Saturday when the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) postponed
the general election based on a letter written by the Alex Badeh, an air chief
marshal and chief of defence staff, that the military would not be able to
provide security because of impending operations against Boko Haram in the
north-east.
On Tuesday, Bola Tinubu, a senior member of the
opposition APC, raised the alarm that soldiers were intimidating him at his
Lagos residence, asking Nigerians to hold Jonathan responsible if anything
untoward happened to him.
Full text of
Olukolade’s statement:
The Defence Headquarters has noted the palpable
tension being generated in certain quarters with regards to the roles of the
Nigerian military in the ongoing political activities and recent developments
especially in relation to the electioneering programmes in the country.
Accordingly, it has become necessary to reassure all citizens that the Armed
Forces of Nigeria remains committed to its duty in working to ensure the
sustenance of peace, law, order and stability in the country before, during and
after the forthcoming elections. It is also important to reassure Nigerians
that the military will while working with all security agencies and stake
holders in the process, remain professional, apolitical and non-partisan in all
operations or activities related to this crucial exercise.
The Armed Forces of Nigeria is quite conscious of the
fact that apart from its primary constitutional role of defending the country
from external aggression and internal insurrection, it also has the
responsibility of providing support in aid of civil authority such as the need
to provide complementary security arrangement to protect our electoral process.
It is on record that the military has successfully lived up to its
responsibility while discharging this duty during previous elections without
equivocation.
In this instance, all military personnel have been
reminded and warned to remain ever conscious of their service oath and solemn
commitment to protect the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria even
while remaining loyal to constituted authorities in the country. No excuse will
be acceptable for any act of commission or omission that tend to compromise the
law or the electoral process as well as decent conduct or judgment on the part
of any service personnel while discharging duties related to elections in any
part of the country.
While expressing deep appreciation to Nigerians who
have remained calm and understanding of the peculiarity of the security
challenges being managed by the Armed Forces at this auspicious period in the
nation’s history, the military is unequivocally assuring all citizens that it
recognizes the fact that the nation’s larger interest and her security is
sacrosanct and beyond any political expediency or ulterior consideration. It is
therefore advised that Nigerians should also endeavor to insulate the military
from partisan politics and retain their confidence in its neutrality and sense
of patriotism at this critical point.
Indeed,
the leadership, in particular, the Chief of Defence Staff and the Service
Chiefs, being products and beneficiaries of the nation’s democratic processes
themselves, continue to cherish highly, the nation’s democracy. They will
therefore not engage in, condone or encourage any act that has capacity to
undermine or subvert any aspect of the democratic processes. Nigerians and the
friends of the country should be reassured that the Nigerian Armed Forces
believes strongly in the prospects of the country under a democratic rule and
will continue to discharge its responsibility to support our democracy as
constitutionally guaranteed.
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