The Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP) has alleged a plot by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, and security agencies to arrest Hon. Ugochinyere Michael Ikeagwuonu, the lawmaker representing Ideato Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives.
The CUPP raised the alarm in a statement issued on Thursday following a press conference in Abuja.
Peter Ameh, Secretary-General of CUPP, and Comrade Mark Adebayo, the coalition’s co-spokesman, described the alleged plot as a significant threat to Nigeria’s democracy.
They claimed it was a “clandestine scheme to defame, tarnish, and suppress one of Nigeria’s most vocal and incorruptible opposition leaders.”
According to the coalition, a pro-Wike faction, in collaboration with certain security agencies, has been training fake witnesses in Abuja for over six weeks to provide false testimony against Ugochinyere.
“This is a desperate, low-budget Nollywood production whose purpose has already failed,” the statement read.
The coalition further noted that “Ikenga’s commitment to speaking truth to power is God-given and cannot be silenced by intimidation, blackmail, or false allegations.”
The CUPP announced plans to launch nationwide protests to resist what they called an attack on democracy and vowed to stand by Ugochinyere.
As of the time of filing this report, neither Wike’s spokesperson, Lere Olayinka, nor Nigerian security agencies had responded to the allegations.
Hon. Ugochinyere has been a vocal critic of Wike, particularly over his involvement in the ongoing crisis within the opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP).
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