‘We didn’t participate in rigging’

Lanre Adewole, Abuja - 07.01.2008

The Nigerian Army has told the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Abuja that it did not participate in the rigging of the 2007 polls as alleged in petitions challenging the outcome of the April 21 presidential election.

The Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Owoye Azazi, was reacting to an allegation by the presidential candidate of the Action Congress (AC) in the election, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, that the armed forces colluded with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to rig the election in favour of President Umaru Yar’ Adua of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

The army boss was joined as the 810th respondent in the petition filed by Alhaji Abubakar, challenging the victory of President Yar’Adua in the poll.

In his final address to the tribunal, the CDS denied any form of involvement in the activities of the INEC, which were alleged to have been primed to rig the said elections.

The address was submitted on behalf of the armed forces by Dr. Bello Fadile. The CDS added that none of the military personnel deployed to provide security on the election day colluded with anyone to perpetuate rigging.

The CDS, therefore, challenged Abubakar to identify any of his men whose acts during the election pointed at deliberate move to influence the conduct and outcome of the elections.

He asked the court to remove him from the list of people who had questions to answer with respect to the conduct of the election or to dismiss the petition in entirety because it lacked merit.

According to him, all military men who were out on the day of the election merely provided security, a duty which he said was in line with Section 217 of the Armed Forces Act, Cap A20, LFN 2004.