By Daniel Kanu
Assistant Politics Editor
The Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, has cautioned security agents to avoid interfering in the political process of the country.The duo, speaking during a presidential rally on Tuesday, at Jalingo, Taraba state that security agencies were constitutionally saddled with the responsibility of ensuring security of lives and property in the country and not to meddle with political process.Atiku who urged the people to vote for him at the February 16 presidential election, promised to complete the Mambilla hydro electric power, build federal roads, exploit and harness abundant natural resources in the state.“Our security services have no business to interfere with our political process; that is not your work. Your work is to make sure that there is peace, law and order. It is not your business to interfere in our political process. This is not your constitutional responsibility at all. Your constitutional responsibility is to make sure that we are all safe” Atiku noted.He noted further that “Any government that draws the security agencies, the police, the army, the civil defence, that government is doing more harm to your career, it is doing more harm to your patriotism and more harm to yourself. Don’t accept that, don’t get involved, allow us to choose the leaders we want to choose and to elect the people we want to elect. It is not your business whom we elect at all.“So I want to caution the security services not to get involved because there are many of us who are also security officers, so don’t come and tell us bullshit.”On his own part, PDP National Chairman, Secondus, also cautioned security agencies against allowing themselves to be used to compromise the electoral process.He advised the Independent National Electoral Commission not to rig the elections, warning that rigging election could precipitate crisis in the country.Secondus advised the INEC and security agencies to ensure that the elections are credible, free, fair and transparent, just as he cautioned against frequent redeployment of security personnel.According to Secondus, “As for our security agencies we have seen police being reformed, we have seen the Department of State Services being reformed. There are good people there and by the special grace of God, they will not defend an individual. But they will defend the constitution of our country.“They are supposed to protect lives and properties. We believe that if they take sides, that will cause crisis. And so, they must be neutral”.
