By Sixtus Uket (Calabar)
Contrary to calls by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in Cross River State for the military not to be used for election security in the upcoming Governorship and House of Assembly Election in the State, the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has called for military presence to forestall breakdown of law and order.
The State Chairman of PDP, Barr. Venatius Ikem, stated this Wednesday, when he spoke with some journalists in Calabar, the state capital.
Barr. Ikem stated that the position of the party is to ensure the protection of lives and property during the elections as well as a peaceful and transparent election in the State.
“It is a National Policy for the military to deploy their men to identified flash points across Nigeria. This is to protect the lives and property of the people during and after the elections,” he said.
The PDP State Chairman explained that the military was neutral throughout the period the Presidential and National Assembly elections lasted in the State, adding that, anyone they suspected was arrested and handed over to the police for investigation.
“Our stand is that, we want full security for the elections; top government functionaries are conniving to sell the mischief to the police that, there was militarization and interferences during the elections, simply because they had no opportunity to manipulate thugs during the elections. We need the military.
“Militarisation of the Presidential and National Assembly elections was everywhere in the State; it was not only in the Northern Senatorial District but also in the Southern Senatorial District, especially Calabar, the State capital,” Barr. Ikem noted.
Emphasising the involvement of the military in the Presidential and National Assembly elections, the PDP state Chairman further explained that, from his observation on the field, “the military was very professional in their activities during the elections.
“The deployment of military to flash points remains a national concern and policy. And it cannot change for Cross River. We have identified flash points, and those flashpoints were totally policed including keeping some detachments of the military to ensure that there was no violence.
“There is nowhere across the state, that anybody has reported any interference of the military in the voting process, the military was only at the periphery of voting, in their tanks, did their patrols and that alone curbed the excesses of young men who may have been recruited for violence.
“Where the military suspected cases of violence, they arrested people from both APC and PDP. As we speak, they are even mentioning my name on what I know nothing about.
“There are people who were arrested who are PDP supporters; there are also APC supporters who were arrested, and yesterday all of them were arraigned in court,” Barr. Ikem said.
He further stated: “While we were in court yesterday, the APC particularly the Speaker was making desperate attempts to get the APC people who were detained, to be released, even when we were in court.
“The issue was not politicised in any way. The military were neutral, anybody they suspected, they picked them up, detained them and had subsequently handed them to the police for investigation. The matter is in court and has only been adjourned to Friday for further consideration,” he noted.
