The Nigerian Army has warned troops deployed for the August 15 Osun State governorship election against bias, harassment and interference with voters, directing them to remain professional and strictly adhere to the Code of Conduct for Election Duty.

The General Officer Commanding (GOC), 2 Division, Nigerian Army, Major General Auwalu Mahmuda, gave the warning on Friday while addressing troops deployed to support the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) during the election at the Engineer Construction Command (ECC), Ede, Osun State.

Mahmuda said the deployment, code-named Operation SAFE CONDUCT, was part of the Army’s constitutional responsibility of providing aid to civil authorities, stressing that the police remained the lead agency for the conduct of elections in Nigeria.

He directed the troops to provide outer-cordon security and respond appropriately to security threats when called upon, warning them to stay away from polling units and avoid actions that could compromise the integrity of the electoral process.

The GOC said the sensitive nature of the assignment required the troops to demonstrate the highest level of professionalism, discipline and impartiality throughout the election period.

He said, “The Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Waidi Shaibu, expects nothing short of professional conduct by the troops in support of the Nigeria Police Force.”

Mahmuda charged the soldiers to shun sentiments and every form of bias, insisting that their actions and inactions must be guided by the national interest.

He also warned the troops against harassing members of the public, urging them to maintain a robust but disciplined disposition and conduct themselves as professionally trained soldiers.

According to him, all necessary requirements for the seamless execution of Operation SAFE CONDUCT have been provided, urging the troops to justify the confidence reposed in them by the Nigerian Army and the country.

The GOC also appealed to residents of Osun State to have confidence in the security arrangements put in place for the election, assuring them that the deployment was designed primarily to maintain law and order and enable citizens to freely exercise their constitutional right to vote.

“Nobody will be harassed. The security arrangements put in place are essentially for the maintenance of law and order for the people to freely exercise their constitutional rights,” he assured.

The August 15 election is expected to be keenly contested by the major political parties, with security agencies under increasing pressure to ensure a peaceful, credible and orderly electoral process across the state.

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