A Federal High Court sitting in Lagos, Monday, barred the federal government from deploying soldiers for elections henceforth.
“It is unconstitutional for the Federal Government to deploy military for the supervision of election purposes without the approval of the National Assembly,” trial judge, Justice Ibrahim Buba held.
In his judgment on the suit by House of Representatives member and chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Femi Gbajabiamila, Buba declared that the deployment of military for election is unconstitutional.
Gbajabiamila had challenged the legality of troops’ deployment for election by President Goodluck Jonathan, which had been alleged to have affected smooth running of elections in Ekiti and Osun States.
Defendants in the suit were President Jonathan, the Chief of Defence Staff, Chief of Army Staff, Chief of Air Staff, Chief of Naval Staff and the Attorney General of the Federation and Justice Minister.
Justice Buba added that a careful research into the laws of the nation, would reveal that there was nowhere it was stated that the President could single-handedly deploy military for elections.
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