by Kolapo Olapoju

In spite of a court order barring the use of soldiers in the conduct of the elections, Governor of Ekiti state, Ayodele Fayose, insists that President Goodluck Jonathan will disregard the ruling and make use of soldiers for the forthcoming general elections.

Justice R. M Aikawa of the Federal High Court, Sokoto, had on January 29, 2015, delievered a judgement prohibiting the use of the military in the conduct of elections, while the Court of Appeal on Monday, February 16, also barred the use of soldiers in the conduct of future elections in the country.

However, Fayose says that the President would continue to deploy soldiers for elections in the country, while also accusing the APC of scheming to unleash terror on Nigerians after losing the March 28 presidential election.

In a statement released by his Special Assistant on Public Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka, the governor said the opposition party was against the military’s participation in the elections so as to have the freedom to carry out violent acts during the polls.

Fayose’s statement said: “It is the constitutional right of President Goodluck Jonathan to deploy soldiers to provide security anywhere in Nigeria and not even the APC allies in the judiciary can take away this right. When APC people begin to blackmail an institution, it simply means that such institution has refused to be corrupted by the party.”

“All the noise being made by the APC and its lousy leaders on their purported audio/video clip is aimed at blackmailing the military into abandoning its responsibility of providing security during the elections so that they can carry out their evil plot of unleashing violence on Nigerians unhindered.”

“They invaded Ekiti with thugs during the June 21, 2014 governorship election but the presence of soldiers prevented the thugs from operating in the state. When soldiers were deployed in Edo State and the election was won by the party, Governor Adams Oshiomhole led APC leaders on a thank-you visit to President Jonathan in Abuja.”

“The same soldiers that provided security in Edo provided security in Ondo and Ekiti states. APC lost in the two states and Nigerians have not been allowed to rest. Should election be seen as free and fair only when APC wins? Should the military be hailed for providing adequate security during elections only when APC wins?”