ABUJA — The Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Idi Abass, has directed naval commands, formations, establishments and bases to organise seminars to educate officers and personnel on their roles and code of conduct during the 2027 general elections
Commander, Navy Base Abuja, Commodore Oluseyi Oladipo, disclosed this on Monday in his opening remarks at a seminar on “The Role of Armed Forces Personnel in Conducting Free, Fair and Credible Elections” held at the CNS Conference Centre, Naval Base, Abuja
Oladipo said the seminar was aimed at promoting greater awareness and clarity among Nigerian Navy personnel who would be deployed for electoral duties
According to him, the initiative was in line with the command philosophy of the Chief of Naval Staff, which seeks to maintain a mission-ready force committed to excellence and service to the nation
He said the seminar was timely given the 2027 general elections, adding that the Armed Forces of Nigeria would, in line with established constitutional provisions, be expected to support the democratic process by creating conditions for free, fair and credible elections
Oladipo said that after 27 years of uninterrupted democratic governance, it had become necessary to examine the role of the armed forces in election security within established constitutional and legal frameworks
He said the seminar would feature a keynote lecture by a lawyer and academic who had served in both the Akwa Ibom State and National Assemblies, followed by an interactive panel discussion
Oladipo added that the outcome of the seminar would reinforce the Nigerian Navy’s commitment to protecting democracy and complement the Code of Conduct and Rules of Engagement for Armed Forces personnel during elections
Delivering the keynote lecture, former Speaker of the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly and former National Assembly member, Hon Onofiok Luke, urged the Armed Forces to train personnel on civil conduct, human rights and the protection of voters during elections.
Luke said the military must cultivate respect for the democratic process and its sustainability, stressing the need for personnel deployed for election duties to remain apolitical
“It is necessary for the Army to cultivate an attitude of respect for the democratic process and its sustainability,” he said
He added that the neutrality of the military must be evident to all political stakeholders and urged personnel to resist attempts by politicians to draw them into partisan activities
“For no reason should the military be political Its neutrality must be evident and open to all political stakeholders,” Luke said.
He also noted that military personnel, as citizens, had the right to vote, urging authorities to make adequate arrangements to enable personnel exercise their franchise regardless of their deployment locations
Luke said this would also help improve public perception of the military
Addressing concerns over the involvement of the military in election security, he said public apprehension was understandable because of reported incidents involving security personnel during previous elections
He said the absence of clearly defined roles, regulations and accountability mechanisms had contributed to concerns surrounding military involvement in elections
“The common claim that the role of the military in elections is ‘secondary’ is vague,” he said
Luke also cautioned against perceived partisanship among security personnel, saying professionalism and neutrality were essential to maintaining public confidence in the electoral process
Panelists at the seminar included a Directing Staff of the National Defence College, Commodore IM. Abbah (retd.); Assistant Commissioner of Police, Operations, FCT Command, ACP Akaniyene Akpan; an instructor at the Command and Staff College, Jaji; and the Assistant Commandant-General of the NSCDC, John Steve Alaba.