2015 ELECTION: Obey court judgement on soldiers, APC to President

The All Progressives Congress has written President Goodluck Jonathan
and the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission,
Prof. Attahiru Jega, to ensure that the judgment barring the
involvement of soldiers in elections is complied with in the
forthcoming polls.
The letter dated February 16, 2015 was addressed to Jega, but was
copied to President Jonathan, the National Security Adviser, the Chief
of Defence Staff, the Chief of Army Staff, the Chief of Naval Staff,
the Chief of Air Staff and the National Chairmen of the APC and the
Peoples Democratic Party.
The Director, Legal, the APC Presidential Campaign Council,
Chukwuma-Machukwu Ume (SAN), who authored the letter on behalf of the
party, said with the recent court decision, Armed Forces personnel
should not be deployed to provide security during elections.
The party was referring to a judgment delivered on January 29, 2015 by
Justice R.M. Aikawa of the Federal High Court, Sokoto and another by
the Court of Appeal, Abuja, on February 16, 2015.
The APC in its letter, in which it profusely quoted parts of the court
judgments, said it acknowledged the INEC's "frustrations at the
illegal imposition of armed forces personnel into a purely civil
election process."
The party's letter read in part, "I am sure all well-meaning Nigerians
share your deep-seated concern on the militarisation of our elections.
"It is therefore imperative your good office and commission ensure
henceforth, and until there is an enabling Act of the National
Assembly, the court orders are obeyed and armed forces personnel are
never again deployed in any form of security supervision of our
elections."
Firstclassnewsline.net
Justice Aikawa of the Federal High Court in his judgment on the suit
marked: FHC/S/CS/29/2014, among others, restrained the President and
the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of
Nigeria and INEC "from engaging the service of the Nigerian armed
forces in the security supervision of elections in any manner
whatsoever in any part of Nigeria, without an Act of the National
Assembly."
Justice Abdul Aboki , in his lead judgment in the Ekiti State
Governorship Election appeal on February 16, held that "even the
President of Nigeria has no powers to call on the Nigerian armed
forces and to unleash them on peaceful citizens, who are exercising
their franchise to elect their leaders.
"Whoever unleashed soldiers on Ekiti State, disturbed the peace of the
election on June 21, 2014; acted in flagrant breach of the
Constitution and flouted the provisions of the Electoral Act, which
required an enabling environment by civil authorities in the conduct
of elections."
Firstclassnewsline.net