Army probes Ekiti, Osun elections
The Nigerian Army yesterday set up a panel to investigate alleged malpractices and involvement of its personnel in Ekiti and Osun states gubernatorial elections held last year.
The terms of reference of the Board of Inquiry (BOI) is to also review the involvement of the Nigerian Army formations/ units and its personnel in elections and other duties in aid to civil authority, a statement by the army spokesperson Col. Sani Usman said.
“The BOI is to investigate the alleged unprofessional and unethical conduct of some Nigerian Army personnel in Ekiti and Osun States’ Gubernatorial Elections 2014, as well as in any other State in Nigeria where other allegations of misconduct were made during the 2015 General Elections in the country,” he said.
“The essence of the investigation is to prevent future unprofessional conduct by officers and men in the performance of constitutional roles.
“It is also to strengthen Nigerian Army’s support to democratic values and structures in Nigeria,” the army said.
Last year, Captain Sagir Koli, an officer in the Nigerian Army leaked an audio evidence of how some top officials of the federal government and chieftains of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) used the army and other security agencies to rig the governorship election in Ekiti and Osun states.
Koli, a military intelligence officer at the 32 Artillery Brigade in Akure, Ondo State, went into hiding after releasing the audio for fear for his life.
He later released a detailed statement entitled: “How Nigerian Army personnel were used to rig Ekiti and Osun States Gubernatorial Elections 2014.”
In the statement, the officer provided details of all that transpired between himself, his commanding officer, two ministers and some politicians prior to the elections in Ekiti State.
So far, the army has reversed some decisions it earlier took under former President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration. One of such decisions was the recall of some of its officers and personnel dismissed for running away from the frontlines during the fight against Boko Haram terrorists.