The opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has condemned the  participation of Service Chiefs at President Muhammadu Buhari’s ‘Next Level’ presidential campaign launch on Sunday.

According to a statement issued through its National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan on Monday, the PDP described the development as completely unacceptable as it was capable of sending wrong signals to the public.

The opposition party said it believes in the professionalism, neutrality and detachment of the military from partisan politics, insisting that the independence of the armed offices must not be eroded.

The PDP urged the military high command to be wary of moves by the Presidency to compromise the armed forces, charging them to take decisive steps towards insulating its personnel and formations from political manipulation.

“Such participation in partisan politics is a dangerous dimension as it will not only erode the confidence which the citizens repose in the military ahead of the election but also become a recipe for discord and partisan disagreements within the rank and file of the military, result in mutual suspicion in the force and whittle its effectiveness in defending the nation.

“The PDP knows that President Buhari, in the desperation to rig and foist himself on the nation in the 2019 election will stop at nothing in his attempt to compromise and desecrate our institutions but doing so with the military is a clear invitation to crisis and derailment of our democracy,” the statement said.