Barely 24 hours after 71 retired military generals endorsed President Muhammadu Buhari for next week’s presidential election,Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has cautioned security agencies not to interfere with the nation’s electoral process.
The ex-Vice President and customs officer explained that the duty of security agencies is to ensure that the voters are all safe and that the process is seamless.
He also warned that any government that draws the Police, Army, Civil Defence into politics does not mean well for the personnel.
Atiku gave the warning on Tuesday in Jalingo, Taraba State, while addressing party supporters at the PDP Presidential Campaign Rally.
He stressed that security agencies have no business interfering with the political process.
His words: “Our Security services you have no business to interfere with our political process, that is not your work. Your work is to make sure that there is peace, law and order. It is not your business, it is not your business to interfere in our political process, this is not your constitutional responsibility at all.
“Your constitutional responsibility is to make sure that we are all safe. Any government that draws the security agencies, the Police, the Army, the Civil Defence, that government is doing more harm to your career, is doing more harm to your patriotism and more harm to yourself.
“Don’t accept that, don’t get involved. Allow us to choose the leaders we want to choose and to elect the people we want to elect, it is not your business whom we elect at all. So I want to caution the security services not to get involved because there are many of us who are also security officers, so don’t come and tell us bullshit.”
He assured Taraba residents that if elected, he would complete Mambilla Hydro Power Electricity, create an enabling environment for businesses to thrive and end insecurity which has become a major challenge in the region.
He equally reminded them that the North East is closest to the Presidency now than ever, charging them not to allow the opportunity to slip away.
On his part, PDP National Chairman, Uche Secondus accused President Buhari of deploying the military to regions perceived to be against his administration, saying that security agencies have the responsibility to defend the country rather than being loyal to an individual.
He also urged them to vote and ensure their their votes are protected and counted, just as he assured that the loyalty of the State towards PDP will never go unrewarded
