CD-CSO Coalition Declares Not Link With OGP, Sets for Legal Action Against OGP- CUSINs

By Our Correspondent

The Campaign for Democracy and Civil Society Organisations (CD-CSO) Coalition in Niger State has declared not to have any formal link with the Open Government Partnership (OGP) and the Civil Society Organisations in Nigeria (CUSINs) platform in the state.

The Non- governmental organization has also threatened legal action against individuals it accused of spreading misinformation about its leadership.

The coalition made its position known in a press statement issued after an emergency meeting of its State Executive Committee held on October 10, 2026, in Minna, Niger State, emphasized not to have any affiliation with OGP- CUSINs.

The statement, signed by the coalition’s chairman, Dr. Comrade Abdullahi Moh’d Jabi, and Secretary-General, Comrade Tayo Ayobami, accused a group allegedly led by Alhaji Shahu Ahmed Baba, with Mathew Oladele as co-chairman, of issuing a disclaimer that purportedly disowned Jabi’s leadership of the coalition.

It described the alleged disclaimer and related publications as misleading, insisting that the Campaign for Democracy was an independent civil society organisation established in 1991 to advocate the rule of law and the restoration of democracy in Nigeria.

The coalition also accused some social media commentators of spreading what it described as false information about its leadership and activities.

According to the statement, the publications failed to uphold journalistic ethics, including the principles of fair hearing and balanced reporting, and could damage the reputation and integrity of its chairman.

The organisation called on members of the public, government officials, development partners, organised labour, the private sector and the media to disregard what it described as misinformation concerning its leadership and relationship with other civil society platforms.

It further challenged Baba and Oladele to produce documentary evidence from print or electronic media to substantiate claims that Jabi had represented or misrepresented the OGP and CUSINs platforms in Niger State.

The coalition maintained that it had no formal working relationship with either platform in the state.

It gave those responsible for the alleged publications 24 hours to retract the reports and apologise, warning that failure to comply would leave it with no option but to institute legal proceedings to seek redress and protect its chairman’s reputation.

The statement reaffirmed the coalition’s commitment to democracy, the rule of law, transparency, accountability and social justice.