Kehinde Fajobi
Former President Goodluck Jonathan has expressed concern over the extensive use of military personnel during elections in Nigeria, stating it overstretches the armed forces.
Speaking at the public presentation of a book by former Inspector General of Police, Solomon Arase, in Abuja on Tuesday, February 18, Jonathan argued that election duties should primarily be handled by the police and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
He noted that in many countries, the military’s role in elections is limited to logistical support, such as transporting election materials to remote or dangerous areas, rather than providing security at polling units.
Jonathan said, “Having been the president of this country before, when you talk about internal security, it’s an area that touches my heart.
“And especially when you talk about election security, again, it’s an area that touches my heart. One gets worried when it comes to Nigerian elections.”
He continued, “In fact, here we overstretch the Army. In most other countries, the military doesn’t get involved in the day-to-day management of elections.
“Some countries use them to manage strategic systems, such as transporting election materials to dangerous areas. But manning polling booths and staying around polling stations—military personnel are never used for such duties.”
Jonathan pointed to examples from Botswana and Senegal, where elections are conducted with minimal security interference, allowing voters to cast their ballots without intimidation.
He explained that in Botswana, police handle election security, while the military secures government buildings.
“I just came back from Botswana some months back during the election. It’s a very small country with a small population, so almost all the police officers were used for the election.
“What the military does is that those regular duties that the police officers were doing, including securing the police headquarters, the military took over.”
In Senegal, he described how polling stations are managed by electoral officials with the police stationed outside.
He said, “You don’t see any police. The electoral management officers, polling agents and so on were just sitting there and watching. The police were outside because they used secondary schools and primary schools as polling stations.
“Then, each of the classrooms has different polling units. So the police stay here. If there is an issue, they will call them in.”
Jonathan lamented that despite technological advancements, Nigeria still faces challenges in election management.
“We talk about technology, technology, and still, with the technology, we have problems. And I said that they use the simplest form of voting. There was a table there. They put the ballot box for every candidate. And you, the voter, you go and you just go and pick. Of course, you must pick from all the candidates.”
Jonathan also urged Nigerians to reject poor political practices and expressed hope that society would eventually demand better.
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“We, Nigerians, celebrate the wrong thing. And I believe one day, the country will get to the level where people will reject bad behaviour,” he said.
He added, “I believe one day, we all Nigerians will say we no longer accept the wrong thing. And the day we all collectively say we no longer accept the wrong thing, we, the political class, will behave normally.”
He concluded by envisioning a future where corrupt political practices are universally condemned.
“Maybe one day, we will have two big buildings in Abuja where we will put pictures of people—whether dead or alive—who have messed up this country so that their grandchildren will know their forefathers were part of Nigeria’s problems,” Jonathan said.