The Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP) has raised concerns over the credibility of the recently concluded governorship election in Ondo State, describing the process as flawed and lacking the key elements of a free and fair democratic exercise.
In a statement released on Sunday, the CUPP’s spokesman, Comrade Mark Adebayo, alleged that the election was marred by vote-buying and partiality from security agencies, accusing the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of manipulating the process to maintain power.
“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,” Adebayo stated.
He further criticized the APC-led government for what he termed a “dangerous agenda of state capture,” claiming the party aims to turn Nigeria into a one-party state ahead of the 2027 general elections.
“It is evident that the APC at both the national and subnational levels 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,” the statement read.
Adebayo accused the APC of implementing policies that have exacerbated poverty, economic hardship, and insecurity across the nation, calling the party’s governance record “grossly incompetent and egregiously wicked.”
“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 is now, inflation is at an all-time high of 34.7% and still rising, youth unemployment and out-of-school children have reached epidemic proportions under a government that swims in the slimy ocean of corruption and criminal extravagance,” Adebayo declared.
He alleged that the APC used state machinery to enforce election outcomes, bypassing democratic principles and imposing results on the people.
“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,” he said.
The CUPP vowed to remain steadfast in opposing what it described as a deliberate attempt to subvert Nigeria’s democratic progress.
“As opposition, we remain vigilant and determined to ensure that we do not allow antidemocratic forces to 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,” Adebayo concluded.
The Ondo election outcome continues to draw mixed reactions, with opposition parties calling for closer scrutiny of the electoral process to ensure credibility and fairness.
