Ahead of Saturday’s election, the Nigerian Army (NA) has declared that the military unit remains apolitical.
Director of Public Relations, Brigadier General Onyema Nwachukwu made the clarification in a statement Thursday night.
The spokesman accused conflict merchants of plotting to discredit Army’s constitutional role of aiding civil authority to provide internal security when called upon to do so.
Nwachukwu accused mischief makers of sharing a video on social media, alleging that soldiers were escorting buses filled with fake voters into Anambra State.
The director said contrary to the misleading claims, the buses in question were conveying INEC permanent and adhoc staff for the election.
“The Federal Ministry of Information and Culture has corroborated this position. We urge the general public to please disregard the report, as it is clearly a misinformation.
“Our duty in the state at this time is purely security-related and in support of the Nigeria Police, which is the lead security agency in the security architecture of electioneering”, he noted.
Nwachukwu stressed that troops are guided by extant provisions of Armed Forces of Nigeria (AFN) Personnel Code of Conduct during elections as well as the provisions of Armed Forces Act CAP A20 LFN 2004.
The Army vowed to continue to operate along these lines to ensure that peace and security reign in the country.
“We will remain apolitical and very professional in deeds and conduct for the growth and development of democracy in Nigeria”, the statement added.
