The opposition political parties, the Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP) has expressed shock at the sad news of the death of Nigeria’s first executive president Shehu Shagari, who died at 93 at the National Hospital Abuja.
The coalition has directed all political parties in the opposition coalition to fly their flags at half mast.
He described Shagari’s passing as a huge loss of a nationalist and elder statesman per excellence particularly at these very challenging times.
The coalition described President Shagari as a democrat who believed in the supremacy of the power of the people and only succumbed to the barrel of the gun of people who did not and still do not believe in the tenets of democracy and the supremacy of the rule of law.
In a statement signed by its first national spokesman, Ikenga Imo Ugochinyere l, the coalition added: “We however urge President Muhammadu Buhari not to attempt to pen any tributes in honour of Alhaji Shehu Shagari who even in death President Buhari was insensitive enough to use as an example to justify his tyranny and crass performance and who all through his life has relished using Alhaji Shehu Shagari to massage his ego.”