Defence Headquarters (DHQ) has expressed “strong exception” to the political campaign advert by a political party which is currently airing on several television channels “targeting the person and office of Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Air Chief Marshal Alex Badeh for denigration.”

Director Defence Information, Major General Chris Olukolade, said: “In the said advert, vile references were made about the Chief’s leadership of the ongoing counter terrorism operation in some parts of the country. The advert is simply typical of the now very common use of the print, electronic and social media to propagate the campaign of attacking or ridiculing the Nigerian Armed Forces all with the intention of scoring political points.”

According to Olukolade in a statement issued today in Abuja, “The issues raised in the so-called political advert have already been clarified a couple of times by the DHQ and efforts are currently being channeled towards effective prosecution of the fight against terror with a view to reversing the situation in the areas where the terrorists are showing presence. It is therefore unfortunate that a lot of fabrications, exaggeration, misrepresentation of facts and outright falsehood are bring disseminated to achieve this unjust objective of tarnishing the reputation of the leadership and individual officers of the nation’s military, all with the aim of getting at the government of the day.

“It is rather disappointing that some politicians are yet to understand the need to separate sensitive national security issues from their zealous political activities. It is, to say the least, very unbecoming of any political party to drag the name and office of a serving Chief of Defence Staff into their political campaigns. This tendency is divisive and aimed at the morale and cohesion in the nation’s Armed Forces. Those who are so desperate to drag the military into political campaigns should realise that no political party or politician should hope to benefit from any effort to destroy the fabric of the nation’s military.

“The Chief of Defence Staff and by extension the entire personnel of Nigerian military do not belong to or work for any political party rather they work for the overall interest of the nation. The DHQ therefore urge politicians to always know when and where to draw the lines and keep the military out of their political machinations.”

•Photo shows Badeh.