Spokesperson of the Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP), Ikenga Imo Ugochinyere, has distanced himself and the Coalition from a letter purportedly written by CUPP to President Muhammadu Buhari over the political activities of Barrister Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan in Kogi State.
Akpoti-Uduaghan is the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate for Kogi Central in the upcoming February 25 elections in Kogi State. In the said letter, allegations were made that she imported Niger Delta militants to Okene, headquarters of Kogi Central during a political rally, which she organised.
Earlier on Wednesday, the Kogi Central PDP candidate took to her Facebook page to openly challenge Ugochinyere to come clean over the allegations against her, threatening to go public if the CUPP spokesperson fail to do so.
“Dear Ikenga Imo Ugochinyere, as you grant your interview today, kindly inform our fellow Nigerians on your role and deals made behind CUPP’s open letter against me.
“Failure to do so will cause me to write about it this evening,” Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan wrote.
But, reacting to the challenge hours later, Ugochinyere, who is also a PDP candidate for Ideato North/South federal constituency election in Imo State, blamed people he called agents of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kogi State for the smear campaign against the PDP candidate, Akpoti-Uduaghan.
In a statement personally signed by him, Ugochinyere said: “The attention of the Spokesperson of the Coalition of United Political Parties has been drawn to a letter purportedly written by the Coalition to President Muhammadu Buhari against Barr. Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan wherein claims were made that she imported Niger Delta militants to Okene during a rally which she organized.
“I wish to disassociate myself and the leadership of the CUPP from the said letter which was not authored or signed by my humble self or the Secretary of the Coalition High Chief Peter Ameh.
“The Public should ignore the letter which agents of APC desperate to tarnish the reputation of Mrs. Akpoti-Uduaghan having seen that the people of Kogi Central have endorsed her as the next person to represent them as Senator in the National Assembly and should desist from doing anything to undermine her legitimate quest.
“I hereby call that the letter be disregarded by the authorities that it was addressed to.
“The opposition coalition hereby calls on Mrs. Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan to go about her campaign and ignore the shenanigans of her opponents who are already staring defeat in the face and not allow her focus to be shifted from the ball.”