The Coalition of United Political Parties, CUPP, has alleged that the Chief of Army Staff, Tukur Buratai, is plotting to return Nigeria to military rule.
CUPP made the allegation while reacting to the alleged activities of soldiers during the Saturday governorship and state House of Assembly elections in Rivers.
In a statement by its first national spokesman, Imo Ugochinyere, the group maintained that the Nigerian Army was responsible for electoral offences in Rivers State.
CUPP claimed that the action of the military was equivalent to a treasonable felony and called on all lovers of democracy to resist it. The statement reads:
“The Coalition of United Political Parties has reviewed the performance of the Nigerian military in the just -concluded governorship election in some parts of the country and has come to the conclusion that the Chief of Army Staff , Tukur Buratai, is nursing a secret agenda to return the country to a military rule .
“We make bold to say that Buratai’s brazen use of armed soldiers to attack officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission and upturn electoral process were testing grounds for his plot to truncate Nigeria ’s democracy.
“We hereby raise the alarm loud enough for all lovers of democracy to hear that an electoral war is looming in states like Rivers over the desperate moves by the Nigerian Army and the All Progressives Congress to announce fake governorship election results in Army Barracks in favour of an unknown and non–existing party called AAC.
“We condemn in unequivocal terms President Muhammadu Buhari and his Chief of Army Staff over this reckless overthrow of electoral process in Rivers State by the APC thugs and security agents.
“We hereby say without mincing words that the undemocratic activities of the military and other security agencies in Rivers State are tantamount to treasonable felony and should be viewed and treated that way.
“This is an assault on democratic institutions in the country and should be resisted and condemned by all lovers of democracy within and outside the country.”