The presidential candidate of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) Mallam Nuhu Ribadu has urged voters not to leave the polling centres after casting their votes as he faulted the Federal Government’s plan to deploy soldiers for the general elections due to start tommorrow.
Reacting to National Security Adviser, General Patrick Azazi’s comments on the issue, Ribadu told newsmen in Yola yesterday that it was an anomaly to use the military for elections in a democracy.
‘’We were shocked by Azazi’s pronouncement and this poses a threat and suspicion on the whole electoral process. We will fight it and people must protect and defend their civic rights’’, he said. Ribadu warned on the consequences, saying the planned deployment is a continuation of the intimidation tactics of the PDP, wondering why soldiers who are trained to fight wars were being drafted into a purely civil matter like elections. The ACN candidate is also asking local and international observers to pay very close attention to the role soldiers would play at the polls, saying elections can only be declared free and fair if they are held in an atmosphere conducive for voters to exercise their constitutional rights.
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