The military has once more advised against making plans to thwart the May 29 transfer of power to President-elect Bola Tinubu.
According to the high leadership, the armed forces are prepared and will ensure a seamless transition process when it happens in 24 days.
On Thursday, Major General Musa Danmadami, the director of defense media operations, issued the warning as Yakubu Gowon, a former military head of state, urged contestants contesting the results of the most recent election to accept the court’s ruling.
Danmadami’s warning comes one month after Brigadier General Tukur Gusau, the Director of Defence Information, promised that the military will oppose any attempt to curtail democracy in the nation.
Additionally, Lt Gen Faruk Yahaya, the Chief of Army Staff, had warned the Indigenous People of Biafra, the Eastern Security Network, and other outlaw organizations not to test the military’s resolve by threatening to retaliate harshly against any threats to national security.
A few disgruntled candidates had protested the president-elect’s scheduled inauguration and demanded the establishment of an interim national government, but Danmadami assured defense reporters at the Defense Headquarters in Abuja that the military would make sure the inauguration did not go as planned.
He declared, “I will reiterate that we are on standby to make sure that nothing unwanted happens; that the issue of threat to the security and stability of the country is addressed promptly. Elections have come and gone. For the presidential election, a winner has been announced.
“There is a transition committee in place comprising all members of the security agencies, ministries, and agencies of government to make sure the event is held successfully and without a glitch.
“We don’t see reasons why there should be a problem during the activity. The inauguration will come and go and nothing will happen. We are not going to relent in ensuring there is peace and stability across the length and breadth of the country. “
Gowon warned the disgruntled candidates who had filed petitions with the various electoral tribunals to respect the court’s sanctity and humbly accept its ruling in the days to come.
The elder statesmen provided their counsel in Abuja at the 15th annual symposium and PUNUKA Annual Lecture 2023 in memory of the late Supreme Court Justice Chike Idigbe.
The ex-military chief urged the public and displeased lawmakers to respect the court’s rulings while emphasizing the importance of a powerful, impartial, and independent judiciary.
He said, “As we move forward as a nation, let us not forget the role that the judiciary plays in nation-building, especially the apex court, in carrying out its duty of questioning the veracity of the decisions of the lower court.
“As such, we need to allow the apex court their deliberations and come up with their decisions, and as the public, to be humble to accept its decision as final in order to maintain the sanctity of the judiciary as individuals and as an institution.
“This is very important at this stage given the post-election litigation that is now going on. Let us give the judiciary the opportunity to do its work and let us accept their decision as it is.”
