Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja
The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has described the alleged participation of Service Chiefs at the President Muhammadu Buhari’s “Next Level” campaign launch, on Sunday, as completely unacceptable.
The PDP, in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, yesterday, said the participation of the military chiefs sends wrong signal to the public, regarding the expected professionalism, neutrality and detachment of the military from partisan politics.
The opposition party said it believes in the professionalism of the military, and, as such, insisted that the professionalism of the armed offices must not be eroded.
Consequently, the party urged the military high command to be wary of the alleged moves by the Presidency to compromise the armed forces.
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Besides, it charged the military high command to take decisive steps towards insulating its personnel and formations from alleged political manipulation.
“Such participation in partisan politics is a dangerous dimension, as it will not only erode the confidence which the citizens repose in the military, ahead of the election, but, also, become a recipe for discord and partisan disagreements within the rank and file of the military, result in mutual suspicion in the force and whittle its effectiveness in defending the nation.
“The PDP knows President Buhari, in the desperation to rig and foist himself on the nation in the 2019 election, will stop at nothing in his attempt to compromise and desecrate our institutions; but, doing so with the military is a clear invitation to crisis and derailment of our democracy.