The presidential candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Mr. Atiku Abubakar has said that security services have no business in the electoral process and therefore warned them to stay out of it.
Speaking at the PDP presidential campaign in Jalingo, Taraba State yesterday, Atiku said the security agencies are only meant to maintain law and order during elections.
“Our security services have no business in interfering with our political process; that is not your work. Your work is to make sure that there is peace, law and order. It is not your business, it is not your business to interfere in our political process; this is not your constitutional responsibility at all.
“Your constitutional responsibility is to make sure that we are all safe. Any government that draws the security agencies, the police, the army, the civil defence, that government is doing more harm to your career; is doing more harm to your patriotism and more harm to yourself.
“Don’t accept that; don’t get involved; allow us to choose the leaders we want to choose and to elect the people we want to elect; it is not your business whom we elect at all. So, I want to caution the security services not to get involved because there are many of us who are also security officers; so don’t come and tell us bullshit,” he said.
Thereafter he pledged to complete the Mambilla Hydro Electric Power Dam in Taraba, if elected in the February 16 presidential poll.
“Taraba is one of the most endowed states in this country; we are going to exploit the natural resources, which is in abundance in Taraba so that you can have prosperity; so that we can bring employment; so that we can create jobs for our teaming men and women.
“If elected president of Nigeria on Feb. 16, I will complete the Mambilla Hydro Electric Power Dam within my tenure in office, to solve the problem of electricity in the state and the country.
“I will also construct Federal Government roads in the state as well as refund the money Taraba spent in constructing federal roads in the state,” he said.
He also called on the people of the state to re-elect Governor Darius Ishaku to enable him come up with the goods.
In his remarks, Ishaku assured Atiku of unalloyed support by the people of the state to ensure his victory at the polls.
He noted that Atiku’s candidature was a symbol of unity and progress and called for his support for a better Nigeria.
Also speaking, the PDP national chairman, Mr. Uche Secondus, urged the people to vote Atiku for job creation, peace and prosperity of the country.
He also called in the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct a free, fair, credible and transparent election.
“We believe that if INEC can conduct free and fair elections, the entire country will be peaceful. And that is why we will continue to hammer that the mandate of INEC is to conduct free and fair election.”
He also warned the security agencies against taking side with the All Progressives Party (APC) to cause crisis.
“As for our security agencies, we have seen police being reformed; we have seen the Department of State Services (DSS) being reformed. There are good people there and by the special grace of God, they will not defend an individual. But they will defend the constitution of our country. They are supposed to protect lives and property.
“We believe that if they take sides, that will cause crisis. And so, they must be neutral. We also advise our well-trained and esteemed Generals in the military that they are too quick. Recently, they started posting people here and there. This is a country they have signed to protect, not to protect an individual. A tree does not make forest and nobody is God to Nigeria,” said Secondus
