The Military has again warned against plans to sabotage the handover of power to the President-elect, Bola Tinubu on May 29.
The high command said the armed forces were on standby and would ensure a smooth transition process scheduled to take place in 24 days.
The Director of Defence Media Operations, Major General Musa Danmadami handed down the warning on Thursday as a former military Head of State, Yakubu Gowon, advised candidates challenging the outcomes of the last election to accept the court verdict.
Danmadami’s caution came a month after the Director of Defence Information, Brigadier General Tukur Gusau, vowed that the military would resist anything that would truncate democracy in the country.
Also, the Chief of Army Staff, Lt Gen Faruk Yahaya, had threatened to crack down on potential threats to National Security and warned the Indigenous People of Biafra, Eastern Security Network and other fringe groups not to test the will of the Military.
Some aggrieved candidates had kicked against the planned inauguration of the President-elect and called for the interim national Government but addressing defence correspondents at the Defence Headquarters, Abuja, Danmadami stated that the Military would ensure that the inauguration was not derailed.
He declared, “I will reiterate that we are on standby to make sure that nothing unwanted happens; that the issue of threat to the security and stability of the country is addressed promptly. Elections have come and gone. For the Presidential Election, a winner has been announced.
“There is a transition committee in place comprising all members of the Security Agencies, ministries, and agencies of Government to make sure the event is held successfully and without a glitch.
“We don’t see reasons why there should be a problem during the activity. The inauguration will come and go and nothing will happen. We are not going to relent in ensuring there is peace and stability across the length and breadth of the country. “
In his admonition to the aggrieved candidates who have lodged petitions at the various election tribunals, Gowon urged them to respect the sanctity of the court and humbly accept its decision in the coming days.
The elder statesmen gave the advice in Abuja at the 15th edition of the PUNUKA Annual Lecture 2023 and symposium in honour of the late justice of the Supreme Court, Justice Chike Idigbe.
The ex-military leader while emphasising the need for a strong, independent and impartial judiciary counselled aggrieved Politicians and the public to abide by the decisions of the court.
He said, “As we move forward as a nation, let us not forget the role that the judiciary plays in nation-building, especially the apex court, in carrying out its duty of questioning the veracity of the decisions of the lower court.
