A former President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan has disagreed with the practice of deploying military personnel for election duties in Nigeria; he also called for an end to the practice especially because it overstretches the nation’s military.
Ex-President Jonathan, who spoke at the public presentation of a former Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Solomon Arase’s new book in Abuja, also suggested that democratic elections should be jointly managed by the police and INEC.
While agreeing that many nations use the Air Force and Army for transportation of election materials to dangerous places, he insisted that military personnel should not be used to provide security at polling units.
“Having been the President of this country before, when you talk about internal security, it is an area that touches my heart, especially when you talk about election security. One gets worried when it comes to Nigerian elections.
“Here we overstretch the Army. In most other countries, the military doesn’t get involved in the day-to-day management of elections. Some countries use them to manage strategic systems, such as transporting election materials to dangerous areas. But manning polling booths and staying around polling stations, military personnel are never used,” Jonathan said.
