The Coalition of Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP) has flayed the way and manner the Ondo State Governorship Election, held last Saturday, saying that the fundamental elements of a free, fair, democratic, and credible election were glaringly missing in the exercise.
CUPP gave this verdict in a release issued on Sunday by its spokesperson, Comrade Mark Adebayo, a copy of which was made available to Nigerian Tribune, describing as an eyesore the alleged widespread vote buying, especially by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the bias demonstrated by the security agencies who were supposed to curb such a menace.
The coalition sadly noted that last Saturday’s exercise in Ondo State was “a poor excuse for an election,” saying that it was evident that the ruling APC at both the national and subnationals had performed woefully on all indices of development as it “has elevated poverty, hunger and economic collapse into active state policy” and cannot win any fairly contested election, but had instead set in motion the machinery to turn the country into a one-party state ahead of the 2027 General Elections.
“The governorship election conducted in Ondo State on Saturday was a poor excuse for an election. The fundamental elements of a free, fair, democratic, and credible election were glaringly missing.
“The widespread vote buying, especially by the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, and the bias demonstrated by the security agencies who are supposed to curb such a menace was an eyesore.
“It is evident that the APC at both the national and subnationals has performed woefully on all indices of development and cannot win any fairly contested election. But the current administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has conceptualized a dangerous agenda of state capture via a tendency towards turning Nigeria into a one-party state prior to the 2027 general elections. Therefore, the Party has set in motion the machinery to turn Nigeria into a one-party state,” CUPP said.
“It is clear to all Nigerians that the APC is the party that has elevated poverty, hunger and economic collapse into active state policy which has destroyed many businesses and crippled the capacity of Nigerians to live a good life.
“Insecurity has never been as bad as it now obtains nationwide, inflation is at all-time high of 34.7% and still rising, youth unemployment and the phenomenon of out-of-school children has attained epidemic proportions under a government that has proven not only grossly incompetent but also egregiously wicked and unconcerned about the plights of regular Nigerians and swims in the slimy ocean of corruption and criminal extravagance, just to mention a few of its horrible records.
“Under these circumstances, a party like the APC cannot win a free and fair election. But here we are, as it was done in Edo State, so it was orchestrated in Ondo State to force a fait accompli on the people by state force,” it added.
CUPP maintained that what is currently happening in the country is not democracy but a deliberate policy of state capture by antidemocratic forces who it said were determined to undermine and ultimately destroy the nation’s democracy as they did in the First and Second republics.
The coalition, however, said it remained vigilant and determined to ensure that antidemocratic forces were not allowed to bring down the country by scuttling her democratic development as a sovereign nation, promising that all hands shall be on deck “to rescue Nigeria and Nigerians from the shackles of oppression, repression and the corrosive influence of obnoxious politicking.”
“This is not democracy, but a deliberate policy of state capture by antidemocratic forces who are determined to undermine and ultimately destroy our democracy as they did in the First and Second republics.
“As opposition, we remain vigilant and determined to ensure that we do not allow antidemocratic forces bring down our country by scuttling our democratic development as a sovereign nation.
“All hands shall be on deck to rescue Nigeria and Nigerians from the shackles of oppression, repression and the corrosive influence of obnoxious politicking,” the coalition said.
“God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” it prayed.
TRIBUNE
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