N54 Million Campaign Levy: CUPP Chides Uzodinma ….Calls Him Enemy Of Democracy

IN the aftermath of the imposition of a N54m levy on opposition governorship candidates for the November 11 governorship election in Imo state by the Imo state government last week, the Coalition of United Political Parties, CUPP, has vehemently condemned the state government’s action as a deliberate action to sabotage the campaign activities of opposition candidates.

In a Press Release signed by its National Co-Spokesperson, Comrade Mark Adebayo, this Monday, the CUPP stated that “It is not only shocking but preposterous and unconscionably antidemocratic for a state governor to seek to engage in a despicable venture of pre-rigging an election in which he is a participant by this crazy imposition of unwarranted levies on other candidates.

“We consider it a deliberate scheme to frustrate the campaign activities of opposition candidates in an election that Governor Hope Uzodinma already knows that he stands to lose due to the appalling records of his administration for the past four years in which Imo state has been turned into the killing fields of the East without any tangible development to showcase. Being a beneficiary of a compromised mandate, the Governor does not and is unable to appreciate democratic praxis of engagement which has portrayed him as an enemy of democracy since his questionable ascension to office as Governor almost four years ago.

“We vehemently condemn this evil scheme of defrauding the opposition with an open agenda to frustrate our candidates. It is stated in the Imo state government’s memo that even payment of the N54m is not a guarantee that you could be allowed to secure campaign premises or erect campaign billboards or paste campaign posters, et cetera. It is still at the discretion of the state government to approve or disapprove your application. We call on all opposition Parties and candidates to immediately unite against this atrocious scheme of antidemocratic forces in Imo state. We shall not allow this wickedness to stand. The CUPP will organize a mother of all protests ever witnessed in the political history of the South East in Owerri should the government refuse to reverse this obnoxious policy.

“We call the attention of the international community to this foreboding danger to our nascent democracy and to call Mr Hope Uzodinma to order by imposing visa bans on him should he fail to reverse this disgraceful policy. We shall escalate our official protests to relevant embassies and international organizations in the next one week should the Imo state Governor insist on proceeding with this naked dance of shame in the market place.

“We call on all opposition candidates to remain steadfast, focused and united in fighting this cause until victory is achieved. Nobody can cheat Imo people more than once. They are too politically sophisticated than that”, the statement concluded.