Opposition political parties under the umbrella of the Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP) have raised the alarm over an alleged clandestine scheme orchestrated by “certain security agencies” to frame the opposition coalition Spokesman Ikenga Imo Ugochinyere with fabricated and unsubstantiated allegations of treason and criminal defamation among others.
The move, according to CUPP, is to silence the House of Representatives member and blackmail him into abandoning his commitment to continuing to expose the misdemeanours being perpetrated by some political leaders in Rivers State in the name of partisan politics .
At a joint world press conference with the CUPP Secretary General, Peter Ameh, in Abuja earlier today – Wednesday, December 18 – CUPP co-spokesman comrade Mark Adebayo, and numerous other pro-democratic forces warned of dire consequences and reaction if any harm befalls the well-respected opposition spokesperson.
They insisted that the opposition families are mobilising to confront these political buccaneers who think that the only way to shut up the incorruptible mouthpiece of the opposition is to defame him, tarnish his reputation and frame alarming allegations against him, saying that nothing on human earth can stop the Opposition spokesperson from carrying out his God-given task of continually speaking truth to power.
Cupp went further to restate that this alarming development and plot, which aims to frame its spokesperson, Ikenga Imo Ugochinyere, on baseless allegations of bribing judicial officers, appears to be a direct response to his vocal opposition to the political situation in Rivers State and attempts to hijack the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and destroy the entire opposition in Nigeria.
“This dastardly plot aims to take him out and stop the continued exposure of reckless land allocation, grabbing, and PR with lands.
The CUPP is deeply concerned that these actions are part of a broader strategy to undermine Ugochinyere’s credibility and stifle dissent within the opposition ranks.
The allegations being fabricated against him are unfounded and indicate the lengths some people will go to maintain their grip on power and silence critical voices.
“In light of these developments, we are calling for an immediate investigation into these allegations and the conduct of the involved security agencies and their rich financiers,” Adebayo said.
“It is imperative that justice prevails and that those who misuse their positions for political gain are held accountable. We urge all stakeholders in the democratic process, including civil society organisations, legal practitioners and international observers, to monitor this situation closely.
“Furthermore, we are mobilising our supporters nationwide for peaceful protests to draw attention to this injustice. These protests will serve as a platform for citizens to express their discontent with the ongoing manipulation of state institutions for political ends.
“We believe that democracy thrives when there is transparency and accountability, and we will not stand idly by while efforts are made to undermine these principles.
“We call upon all Nigerians who value democracy and justice to join us in this fight against tyranny and oppression. Together, we can ensure that our voices are heard loud and clear against any attempts at silencing dissent through intimidation or false accusations.
“Ikenga has gone this route before. He was charged with treason, arson, subversion, criminal defamation, terrorism, murder, and all sorts of heinous crimes just to keep him from winning his election and speaking out, yet he won the election in absentia and thrashed all the fabricated charges and still spoke truth to power. If Ikenga was not cowed then he would not be cowed now. This plot is from the same textbook of intolerant dictators and, as usual, will fail.
“The opposition family is mobilizing and will stand in the court of public opinion, the court of legal battle, and on the streets to defend one of Nigeria’s shining lights for democratic reform.”
