The Nigerian Army has ordered officers and soldiers deployed for the August 15 Osun State governorship election to stay away from polling units and avoid any action that could undermine the credibility of the election.

According to ARISE News, the directive was issued by the General Officer Commanding, 2 Division of the Nigerian Army, Major General Auwalu Mahmuda, during a briefing with troops assigned to election security duties at the Engineer Construction Command (ECC) in Ede, Osun State.

Mahmuda urged the officers and soldiers to conduct themselves professionally and avoid intimidating voters, taking sides or engaging in activities that could compromise the integrity of the election.

He said the military’s involvement was primarily to assist civil authorities in maintaining security during the exercise, with the Nigeria Police Force retaining responsibility for the overall coordination of election security.

The operation, codenamed Operation SAFE CONDUCT, will see the Army provide security support to the Nigerian Police Force outside polling locations, while troops are expected to respond to security threats only when their intervention is required.

Mahmuda further reminded the personnel that their conduct during the election would be critical to ensuring a peaceful and credible electoral process.