In February this year, it was reported that some leaders of the then ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) met with several army officers on how to use the military to rig the gubernatorial elections in Ekiti and Osun States in 2014. Audio recordings and affidavit were later provided by Sagir Koli, a captain with the 32nd Artillery Brigade stationed in Ekiti State, providing evidence of the connivance.
Captain Koli has since fled the country for fear of retribution but his recordings show how politicians instructed soldiers to rig the elections in favour of PDP candidates. He recorded the conversation on June 20 2014 when he was asked to accompany his commanding officer, Brigadier Aliyu Momoh, to the meeting at the Spotless Hotel in Ado-Ekiti.
Since the exposé, there had been calls by the then opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) and civil society organisations for the federal government to investigate the matter and prosecute the actors. With the APC now in government having won the last elections, it appears that the army has been instructed to institute a probe.
Nigerian Army spokesman Col Sani Usman, said that the board would investigate the alleged unprofessional and unethical conduct of some army personnel during the two elections. The board has also been charged to investigate similar instances in any other state in Nigeria where other allegations of misconduct were made during the 2015 general elections in the country.
According to Col Usman, under its terms of reference, the board was to also review the involvement of the Nigerian Army formations/units and its personnel in elections and other duties in aid to civil authority. He added that the essence of the board is to prevent future unprofessional conduct by officers and men in the performance of the constitutional roles while strengthening Nigerian Army’s support to democratic values and structures in Nigeria.
Comments
Post a Comment