Chief of Defence Staff, Lieutenant-General Gabriel Olonisakin, has reaffirmed military’s commitment to neutrality in the forthcoming general elections in the country.

Olonisakin, who was represented by Chief of Defence Training and Operations, Defence Headquarters, Major-General Leo Irabor, gave the commitment at the National Stakeholders Dialogue for Peaceful and Violence-Free 2019 General Elections.

He said the military would support the process for free, fair and credible elections, adding that “the voice of peace was louder than the noise of violence’’.

According to him, for us as a nation and as we match to the general elections, if we want all our dreams and aspiration to come to fruition, it is for us to ensure that we stick to our civic responsibility.

Olonisakin said the Code of Conduct for members of the armed forces had been spelt out, and asserted that the citizenry must know that the military was there to support them.

He said military rule ensured that everyone performed his civic responsibilities in line with the required standards.

According to him, we remain on the alert to ensure that the whole objective of the elections is not thwarted by unscrupulous elements that are against peaceful conduct of the elections.

Olonisakin assured that the military would ensure cooperation with the Nigeria Police to ensure a violence-free election.

He warned that any attempt to create violence during and after the elections would not be tolerated, and commended National Orientation Agency (NOA) for organising the forum.