Kano—President Goodluck Jonathan’s fierce critic, Dr. Junaid Mohammed, has warned President-elect, Muhammadu Buhari, to take urgent steps to flush out political elements from the Nigerian Armed Forces in order to create room for genuine democracy to thrive in the country.
Mohammed, who spoke to Vanguard in reaction to the defeat of Jonathan by Buhari in last week’s polls, asked the new president to also work for the overall best interest of Nigerians instead of meeting the expectations of certain groups and individuals in the land.
The Second Republic lawmaker from Kano said the call had become imperative following the shameful action of military men who openly attempted to subvert Nigeria’s democratic march in the run-up to the 2015 elections.
He recommended that henceforth recruitment into the army should be strictly based on merit and national quota while major appointments in the armed forces should follow laid down tradition to prevent generating dissent in the system.
The Kano-born medical doctor pointed out that Buhari must also be firm in tackling corruption to pave the way for the development of the vital sectors of the economy and create jobs for the teeming unemployed in the country.
Mohammed said: “Given what we have seen in the military lately, Buhari must move immediately to clear the armed forces of politicians and ensure that only dedicated officers and men, who are willing to work for the country, are allowed in the system.
“The president-elect must purge the army of politicians in army uniforms and further recruitment should henceforth be based on merit and done in the overall interest of the nation and not made to appease certain interests, individuals and groups loyal to the government of the day.
Asked if he would withdraw a suit he and four others instituted against President Jonathan’s participation in the 2015 election since he had lost, Mohammed said he would pursue the matter to a logical conclusion despite the defeat of Jonathan by Buhari.
He said the decision to take the case to press further with the case was to deepen democracy and get a judicial pronouncement on the matter so that it could help to deepen Nigeria’s democracy in the future.
Mohammed said that matter was not about Jonathan as a person but to help redefine the intendment of the Nigerian constitution on the matter of tenure of the president
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