Following many responses that thrive from “snatch ballot box and loss your life”, the Aare Ona Kakanfo of Yorubaland, Iba Gani Adams, yesterday, has also appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari not to use the military officials to terrorize Nigerians from exercising their vote.
In a statement by his Special Assistant on Media, Kehinde Aderemi, Aare Adams noted that the use of military during the elections is illogical, relating it as a trick to destabilize Nigeria’s democracy.
He said: “We are not in a banana republic, whereby the Federal Government will, strategically, foist the military on us during elections.
I agree there are security challenges across the country; however, nobody can use that as a ploy to use the military to undermine our democracy. What we are experiencing, since last Saturday, is not too good for us as a nation, because some politicians have perfected their plans to truncate this democracy through the back door.
The whole world is watching us. Many of us put our lives on the line for us to have this democracy. Many people lost their lives for us to have this democracy. Our democracy came with a lot of sacrifices. In a civilized clime, the police and the civil defense are usually used to monitor elections, while the military is used during wars.
The coming election is not a war, so why the directives to use military to monitor election processes? This is scary and their presence will definitely lead to chaos.
This election should be peaceful, free and fair. We don’t want bloodbath, however, with this development, I have a feeling that many Nigerians will be disenfranchised and that can taint Nigeria’s image and it will also send a wrong signal to the international community.”
Adams, however, advised Nigerians not to be intimidated by the activities of the military, saying election is not a do-or-die affair.