Military authorities have said that elections will go on in the South East in spite of threats to scuttle it.
Director of Defence Media Operation, Maj.-Gen. Musa Danmadami, who gave the warning at the Defence Headquarters, Abuja while answering questions during a media briefing on the activities of troops attached to various operations across six geo-political zones in the country, stated that while no territory was under the grip of terrorists, bandits and other criminals, the criminal elements may be present in some local governments.
Danmadami said;
“Election will be held as scheduled in the South East. No gunman or unknown gunmen or what is it called can stop the election. We have continued to carry out various operations and we will continue to carry it out.
“No territory is being held on to by the terrorists, bandits or other criminals. Yes, we have several pockets of them in some parts of the country, which is why operations are going daily.
“Of course, they may be disturbing some local government areas, but to say they have a territory they hold on to, no!
“Like I told you, we’ve been carrying out a lot of operations to make sure that their enclaves are destroyed and eliminated. On the election, the Chief of Defence Staff had said repeatedly that the armed forces would remain apolitical.
“The police are the leading agency as far as election matters are concerned, they have the mandate, while other security agencies would support them to achieve this. I can tell you that any unwanted act during elections would be dealt with decisively.”