The military has come down hard on its officers who were unprofessional during the governorship elections in Ekiti and Osun states in 2014 and in last year’s general elections.
The panel, which was set up on October 23, last year, was headed by the General Officer Commading (GOC) I Division, Maj.-General Adeniyi Oyebade. The panel sat in Kaduna.
There were protests over how soldiers intimidated the opposition in the governorship elections. The then ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is b
PDP also tried the same trick in the August 9, 2014 Osun governorship election, but this was resisted by the Rauf Aregbesola-led APC administration.
But many leaders, including Senator Isiaka Adeleke, were prevented from leaving their homes to vote.
Yesterday, Gen. Oyebade announced that two officers had been recommended for compulsory retirement for their roles in the fiasco.
Other recommendations include:
*Three officers to lose their command and one recommended for prosecution for collecting financial gratification.
*15 officers are to be placed on the watch list;
*Nine officers to be further investigated by the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) for allegations levelled against them;
*Six officers to face an audit committee and
*62 officers (mostly of the rank of Major and below) to be given Letters of Displeasure and to appear before their General Officers Commanding (GOCs) for counselling.
Explaining how the panel operated, Gen. Oyebade said the Board placed advertorials in the media, requesting for memoranda from the public before the commencement of sitting.
He said 23 officers and over 100 soldiers and 62 civilians appeared before the panel.
Gen. Oyebade described the recommendations as “far-reaching to assist the Nigerian Army and the nation in the future”.
He thanked the Army for the opportunity to serve and acknowledged the support and cooperation the panel received from the Police and other security agencies and the public.
Gen. Buratai thanked the Board for a “thorough” and “dispassionate” job devoid of influence from any quarters.
He expressed delight that the Board, knowing the gravity and implication of its report on the careers of officers and impact on the Nigerian Army, discharged its assignment diligently and professionally. He promised that the report will be reviewed – in line with Nigerian Army’s legal and administrative procedures.
The Chief of Army Staff also enjoined members of the Board to share the knowledge acquired in the course of their assignment with their colleagues for the benefit of the Army and the nation.
During the Osun State governorship election, security was deployed mainly against the opposition party. Some of the security men wore hoods and arrested members of the opposition, including the then APC National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, who was held for “wandering.”
In Ekiti, APC governors were prevented from entering the state to campaign for the party’s candidate, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, as part of the security clampdown.
Edo State Governor Adams Oshiomhole was stopped from flying out of Benin to campaign for Fayemi. Former Rivers State Governor Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi was stopped at the boundary between Ekiti and Ondo states and prevented from driving into the state by securitymen who threatened to shoot at his convoy.
Captain Sagir Koli, an Intelligence officer of the 32 Artillery Brigade, Akure, released a secretly recorded tape of discussions between a general and some PDP leaders plotting how to influence the election.
The audio tape detailed how some (then) top Federal Government officials and the PDP, including then Minister of State for Defence Musiliu Obanikoro, Police Affairs Minister Jelili Adesiyan, PDP chieftain Iyiola Omisore, then PDP governorship candidate Ayo Fayose and Brigade Commander, 32 Artillery Brigade, Brig.-Gen. Aliyu Momoh, among others, used the Army and other security agencies to rig the election.
Capt. Koli said 1,006 military officers and men were deployed in Ekiti, as part of a “Special Task Force” for the election.
The APC alleged that “soldiers were deployed in each of the 16 local governments with the express instruction to “work” with the PDP contacts in the local governments.
“Special stickers were given to select PDP officials so that their vehicles could be granted unfettered access to any part of the state, despite the traditional Election Day restriction of movement.”
elieved to have used soldiers to aid its victory in the June 21, 2014 Ekiti poll that brought Governor Ayo Fayose into office. Soldiers were allegedly used to intimidate All Progressives Congress (APC) members and sympathisers.
Army Captain Sagir Koli later revealed details of how the military was used to rig the election.
Ekiti, Osun 2014 polls: Military panel recommends retirement of officers
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