THE
report that the Army Command has decided to institute a probe into the
involvement of army personnel in the alleged rigging of the last
gubernatorial elections in Ekiti and Osun states, if true, should help
to unearth the truth concerning the elections and the allegation. There
had been reports about the recording of the discussions among some
notable personalities involved in the elections, particularly in Ekiti
State, by one of the military operatives deployed there for the
election. The recording gave the impression that there were deliberate
acts by some powers at that point to utilise the military for the
purpose of manipulating the elections.
It was also reported during the Osun State election that some people were allegedly given military uniforms in order to pass them off as military operatives for the sole purpose of using the uniforms for nefarious activities to help sway the elections towards a particular political party. And given that the military is one institution that should be above the fray of politics, working only for national interest and not interested in any political party or leaning, the impression of using it for political ends in the two elections is one that should be erased and dealt with if true. There is also the imperative need to ensure that the name of the military is not dragged into politics as this would be very dangerous for the interest and survival of the institution.
In any case, the whole essence of democracy rests on the ability and capacity of the people to decide on and determine those to rule over them through elections. This ability is compromised when elections are not allowed to reflect the true feelings of the people. This way democracy itself is endangered and development in the society is threatened, such that there is no ultimate advantage even to those who engage in acts that manipulate elections. It is therefore in the interest of all to work for the enthronement of genuine and real democracy where the votes of the people would not just count, but would be the only basis for installing and organising government.
This need is particularly important under the present government of President Muhammadu Buhari which has pledged to engineer Nigeria towards positive change in all ramifications. The government would definitely and necessarily not want the democratic progress and consolidation in Nigeria to be troubled under its watch and would thus be interested in ensuring that elections continue to be reflective of the true votes of the people. And one way of doing this is to bring and breed confidence into the electoral process by investigating any reported infraction in order to unearth the truth and deal with it in an open manner. It is to be stated nonetheless that this responsibility also makes it important for the government to be open and transparent in such investigation in order not to attract accusations of a biased probe.
This is why it would be incumbent on the army command to not just talk about an investigation, but to also ensure that the investigation could stand the test of scrutiny without which the investigation itself would bring opprobrium on the military. It is not just a question of conducting investigation for its own stake as the investigation must also be credible in order for it to be the basis of national action to ensure that the military is not dragged in a partisan manner to electoral and political matters. Nigerians would be interested in the outcome of the planned probe and would expect that anybody indicted would be appropriately dealt with, not only to serve as deterrent, but to ensure that all are agreed on the need to put national institutions beyond political bickering to safeguard their functioning in the interest of the unity of the country.
We therefore support and salute the preparedness of the army authorities to conduct this important probe in order to lay the allegations to rest and come out with what actually transpired under those circumstances. It is our hope that this intention to know the truth would work to the benefit of further insulating the military and other national institutions from partisan politics while consolidating democracy in the country.
It was also reported during the Osun State election that some people were allegedly given military uniforms in order to pass them off as military operatives for the sole purpose of using the uniforms for nefarious activities to help sway the elections towards a particular political party. And given that the military is one institution that should be above the fray of politics, working only for national interest and not interested in any political party or leaning, the impression of using it for political ends in the two elections is one that should be erased and dealt with if true. There is also the imperative need to ensure that the name of the military is not dragged into politics as this would be very dangerous for the interest and survival of the institution.
In any case, the whole essence of democracy rests on the ability and capacity of the people to decide on and determine those to rule over them through elections. This ability is compromised when elections are not allowed to reflect the true feelings of the people. This way democracy itself is endangered and development in the society is threatened, such that there is no ultimate advantage even to those who engage in acts that manipulate elections. It is therefore in the interest of all to work for the enthronement of genuine and real democracy where the votes of the people would not just count, but would be the only basis for installing and organising government.
This need is particularly important under the present government of President Muhammadu Buhari which has pledged to engineer Nigeria towards positive change in all ramifications. The government would definitely and necessarily not want the democratic progress and consolidation in Nigeria to be troubled under its watch and would thus be interested in ensuring that elections continue to be reflective of the true votes of the people. And one way of doing this is to bring and breed confidence into the electoral process by investigating any reported infraction in order to unearth the truth and deal with it in an open manner. It is to be stated nonetheless that this responsibility also makes it important for the government to be open and transparent in such investigation in order not to attract accusations of a biased probe.
This is why it would be incumbent on the army command to not just talk about an investigation, but to also ensure that the investigation could stand the test of scrutiny without which the investigation itself would bring opprobrium on the military. It is not just a question of conducting investigation for its own stake as the investigation must also be credible in order for it to be the basis of national action to ensure that the military is not dragged in a partisan manner to electoral and political matters. Nigerians would be interested in the outcome of the planned probe and would expect that anybody indicted would be appropriately dealt with, not only to serve as deterrent, but to ensure that all are agreed on the need to put national institutions beyond political bickering to safeguard their functioning in the interest of the unity of the country.
We therefore support and salute the preparedness of the army authorities to conduct this important probe in order to lay the allegations to rest and come out with what actually transpired under those circumstances. It is our hope that this intention to know the truth would work to the benefit of further insulating the military and other national institutions from partisan politics while consolidating democracy in the country.
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