It was recommended to President Buhari that he not brush the statement under the rug, and it was emphasized that a comprehensive investigation of Nigeria's top military chief was required in order to unearth those individuals who were covertly working toward the destruction of the democracy of the nation through unsavoury roles with the military.
After his quick removal from his job, he was strongly pressed to put Irabor in the position of having to provide the names of the people who were working behind the scenes to damage the election system.
Recall that Irabor had declared that Nigerians can rest assured that it would remain neutral even if it is facing constant pressure to compromise the 2023 elections. Nigerians can be guaranteed that they will vote freely in 2023.
Irabor was cited as saying this while he was addressing at the 61st session of the State House Ministerial Briefing organized by the Presidential Communications Team at the Aso Rock Villa in Abuja. He emphasized that military personnel are subjected to pressure in the form of inducements.
On the other hand, he assured that the military forces would not become involved in politics while they are taking the required steps to ensure compliance with the instruction of President Muhammadu Buhari to remain impartial.
Irabor's statement was a direct indictment on the Nigerian government and its security agencies, especially the Armed Forces of Nigeria, according to a civil society organization called the Conference of Civil Society Advocates for Electoral Stability, which responded by stating that "the populace may not trust the electoral process anymore unless something is done fast."
The CSO's National President, Dr. Clement Eromosele, issued a statement in which he tasked both the local and international communities with immediately launching an investigation into the accusation to ascertain whether or not it is true.
The following is an excerpt from the statement that was released: "Our attention has been drawn to a statement credited to the Chief of Defence Staff, General Lucky Irabor, to the effect that the Nigerian Military is under pressure to compromise the 2023 general election and that, despite this, they are doing everything possible to obey Mr. President's directive to emplace a free and fair election in the country. "The statement reads: "Our attention has been drawn to a statement credited to the Chief of Defense Staff,
"Although some may consider this statement as one of General Irabor's casual and typical media gaffes, we in the civil society view it as a very serious statement that must be taken seriously by the Nigerian Government, the people of Nigeria, and the world community. "
"The statement is a direct indictment on the Nigerian government and our security services, particularly the Armed Forces of Nigeria, and the population may not trust our ongoing election process any longer unless something is done quickly to restore their faith in it.
"For our part, we are demanding that Chief of Defense Staff General Lucky Irabor be fired immediately, and we are also demanding that an immediate investigation be conducted into his statements in order to determine whether or not they are accurate in the interest of maintaining peace.
It is inappropriate to ignore words of this like made by the Chief of Defence Staff, who is a very high figure in this government.
It is imperative that this claim be thoroughly studied by the local as well as the international community in order to determine whether or not it is true.
A further statement was made by the organization, which read as follows: "On the other hand, we feel firmly that the remark by General Irabor is aimed to blackmail the president for some certain reasons which only General Irabor can explain."
"It is imperative that Nigeria promptly joins the call for the dismissal of Irabor and all other inept service chiefs. It is their ineptitude that has led to the degraded security scenario that we find ourselves in today.
"Mr. President, you need to start carrying a big stick now. This remark is a scathing critique of the president and the members of his administration. We demand immediate action from him to demonstrate to the people of Nigeria that he is not in any way attempting to jeopardize the democratic process in 2023.