The Oodua People’s Frontier (OPF) and the Yoruba Patriots Alliance (YPA) had condemned the Bola Ahmed Tinubu-led government for its interference in the election of principal officers of the National Assembly.
The groups expressed their utmost dissatisfaction and concern over the flagrant disregard for democratic principles demonstrated by this administration.
Addressing a press conference in Abuja, OPF convener, Comrade Moses Oluwasegun Odewale and Comrade Anuoluwabamise Adetutu, the national president, YPA
said it is disheartening to witness the relentless attempts by the government to utilize security agencies as tools of intimidation, coercing aspiring candidates into submission.
“Such actions are not only undemocratic but also threaten the very foundations of our democracy. Nigeria is not an agberocracy; we are a nation founded on democratic principles, where the separation of powers and the independence of the legislative and judicial arms are paramount.
“We vehemently repudiates any misguided parallel drawn between Nigeria and the confined realm of Lagos State, where agberos and touts reign supreme. We assert that Nigeria, as a whole, transcends the narrow scope of a single state and operates on an entirely different scale of governance.
“It is shameful that the current government, barely at the outset of its tenure, is already exhibiting dictatorial tendencies. Considering the use of court orders to impede eligible candidates from exercising their fundamental rights to contest for principal offices in the Senate is not only an affront to our democracy but also a blatant violation of the principles of justice and fairness.
“The Oodua People’s Frontier (OPF) and the Yoruba Patriots Alliance (YPA), stands firmly against any attempt by this administration to undermine our democratic systems. We refuse to be silent spectators as our democracy is eroded by the very government entrusted to uphold it. We will resist every encroachment on our democratic institutions with unwavering determination.
“The people of Nigeria deserve leaders who respect the tenets of democracy and uphold the principles of good governance. We demand that the Bola Ahmed Tinubu-led government refrain from further interference in the electoral process and respect the rights of eligible candidates to contest for principal offices in the National Assembly.
“In light of the unabated intimidation of candidates and the flagrant encroachment upon the election process for the principal offices of the Senate, it becomes unequivocally evident that any Nigerian harboring the belief that this administration can genuinely revive their aspirations is gravely deceiving themselves. The prevailing demeanor and actions of the government cast profound doubts on their capacity to reignite a semblance of hope.
“We are totally dismayed at the recent trending video of the Vice President Kashim Shettima, announcing the stepping down of Hon. Aliyu Betara and Hon. Yusuf Gagdi in favor of their preferred candidate, Hon. Tajudeen,” they said.
