Some retired senior military officers have lashed out at the Defence Headquarters for describing former President Olusegun Obasanjo as an embarrassment to the military institution.
The Defence Headquarters in a remark on its Facebook page on Monday had accused the former President of politicising serious national security and military issues.
The military authorities were reacting to a statement credited to the former President that the general elections were postponed to enable President Goodluck Jonathan to use the Service Chiefs for tenure extension in an electronic mail on Monday.
But a former Chief of Army Staff , Gen. Alani Akinrinade (retd.),in a telephone interview with our correspondent, condemned the military authorities over the comments.
Akinrinade said Obasanjo was exercising his political rights, adding that it was absurd for a junior officer to say anything against his superiors.
The ex-general said, “Obasanjo has exercised his political rights. I think his joining politics is what is causing this nonsense. What is the business of the Defence Headquarters in politics anyway? How did they get to the point where they are reading political statement by politicians. They are now reacting to it. Obasanjo didn’t abuse the armed forces. He must have his reasons for what he said. It is a very bad idea for a junior officer to come out in the public and chastise an ex-commander-in-chief.”
Also, a former Director of Army Legal Services, Col. Akin Kejawa (retd.), described the comments against Obasanjo as being the product of “the indiscipline that the military has degenerated into.”
Kejawa, cautioned the military authorities, saying the reaction betrayed the tenets of respect and discipline that the army was noted for.
According to him, the comments made mockery of the army.
