APC Demands Probe Of Defence Chief’s Comments On 2023 Elections

The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has demanded an investigation into the allegation that some politicians were mounting pressure on the military to compromise the 2023 elections.

Naija News reported that the Chief of Defence Staff, General Lucky Irabor, had claimed that the military and other security agencies are always facing constant pressure to undermine the forthcoming elections.

Reacting to the allegation, the APC Director of Publicity, Bala Ibrahim, said the claim by the Defence Chief should not be treated lightly, describing the claim as weighty.

The APC chieftain asked Irabor to name the politicians putting the military under pressure to compromise the forthcoming polls, stressing that Nigerians deserve to know the truth.

He said, “This is a very heavy allegation that I don’t think anybody will want to joke with. I don’t know what made the Chief of Defence Staff make that statement. But the military is supposed to be supportive and subservient to the supremacy of democracy.

‘’I don’t think this is something that should be taken lightly. It is a threat to democracy. Where exactly is the pressure coming from and who are the people mounting it?

“I believe an investigation should be conducted. The life of political parties will be suffocated if there is pressure on the military to compromise the elections. It is as if some people are trying to extinguish the life of democracy.’’

When reminded that INEC had complained about a similar pressure some weeks ago, Ibrahim argued that the status of the commission cannot be compared with the military.

He said: “When INEC says it is under pressure, it is understandable. The commission can be under pressure because it wants to meet deadlines because it is supposed to be the umpire that oversees the conduct of elections, which is the kernel of democracy.

‘’But when the military says it is under pressure, the literal interpretation would mean some people want to substitute the ballots with bullets. Is that not something that should be taken with all the seriousness that it deserved?

‘’If the pressure is confirmed, the Federal Government needs to do the needful by finding out where that pressure is coming from. We don’t want our democracy to be truncated nor do we want the elections to be compromised.

“A credible election is the ambition of Mr. President and he wants to leave behind a legacy that he will be remembered for,’’ the party chief submitted, insisting that the military has no business with elections.“