Army flays UK over comment on Rivers polls, cautions against interference

The Nigeria Army has accused the United Kingdom (UK) of interfering in Nigeria’s elections following UK’s comments that military’s role and involvement in Rivers State elections was improper.

The British High Commission in Nigeria had in a series of tweets yesterday expressed concerns over reports of military interference in the elections in Rivers State.

It said the military interference in the polls stressed Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) staff and made it difficult for them to carry out their duties.

But, in a statement by acting Director of Public Relations, Col. Sagir Musa, the army said the allegations were baseless.

In the report titled: Re: UK Expresses Concern Over Military Involvement In Rivers Poll, the army denied the claims that its men contributed to the electoral crisis in the state.

“Foreign interests are advised to be mindful of interfering in our internal affairs, especially when there is no credible evidence. Any allegation against the Army must be confirmed from appropriate quarters before jumping to conclusions.

“The NA wishes to state that the statement is totally baseless, untrue and capable of misleading members of the public, especially when there is no credible record of such involvement anywhere in Nigeria before, during and after the 2019 elections,” the statement reads.

The army insisted that politicians gave hoodlums military uniforms with which they perpetrated electoral misdeeds, which confused members of the public.

Meanwhile, the Coalition for Change and Transparency (CCT) has alleged that Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike, sponsored propaganda and fake news against the Nigeria Army during the governorship and state Assembly elections.

It noted that in a bid to undermine the military’s conduct at the polls, Governor Wike and his cohorts in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) resorted to cheap blackmail, going as far as bribing the UK Consulate with $1 million.

Addressing a press conference in Abuja yesterday, its President, Danesi Momoh, disclosed that Wike’s latest plot was not particularly strange, especially after his failed attempt to induce military personnel to rig the elections in PDP’s favour.

The coalition insisted that Wike’s motive was to manipulate the outcome of the elections and when he could not achieve that, he resorted to cheap propaganda.