Nigeria’s Defence Chief Rules Out Military Takeover

Nigeria’s Chief of Defence Staff, Alex Badeh, has ruled out the possibility of a military takeover as Nigeria transits from the current administration to another, saying the era of military rule in the country is gone.

He spoke while receiving members of the National Peace Committee for the 2015 general elections. “The era of military rule is gone forever in this country. In fact if there was military rule I am not sure if I could have been here,” Mr. Badeh, an air chief marshal, said. “We are the armed forces of Nigeria and not that of any political party and will be subordinate to the constituted authorities.”

He said the military leadership is a product of democratic governance and would not embark on activities that could jeopardize Nigeria’s electoral process. “I remember when we asked for more time to embark on what we are doing but there was a lot of misgiving. But we are happy that we are able to ensure that some exercise their choice of who to govern them. Even though we did not achieve 100 per cent, but we are able to secure the major ones,” he said.

Read Morepremiumtimesng