Immediate-past Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Tukur Buratai (rtd) says he will not respond to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)’s criticism of his nomination as a non-career ambassador-designate.
He stated this weekend after a special gala night organised by members of the 29th Regular Course Association of the Nigerian Defence Academy in Abuja.
Buratai and three other service chiefs were on January 26 immediately replaced after they turned in their resignation.
Others were then-Chief of Defence Staff, General Abayomi Olonisakin; then-Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Ibok Ekwe Ibas; and then-Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar.
However, the presidency announced in a statement few days later that they had been nominated as non-career ambassadors awaiting Senate screening and confirmation.
Reacting in a February 5 statement, PDP urged the Senate not to confirm the nomination of the ex-service chiefs as ambassadors.
The main opposition party stated that the All Progressives Congress (APC) planned to use decoy of ambassadorial appointments to shield the immediate-past service chiefs from investigation over alleged killing of innocent Nigerians and crimes against humanity under their watch.
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Asked to react to the PDP’s statement, Buratai said, “It’s an honourable retirement and also an honourable appointment.
“I’m not a politician, so I have no word for the opposition. I have done well.”