Naira Swap: CNPP Accuses APC Governors Of Plot To Buy Votes

Conference Of Nigeria Political Parties (CNPP) has called on Nigerians not to fall for what it described as the antics of the governors of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as they are not fighting for the wellbeing of the people, insisting that the “opposing APC leaders are attacking President Muhammadu Buhari and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor Godwin Emefiele because they are desperate to buy votes knowing that APC has failed.”

It called on President Muhammadu Buhari to call Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State to order “for declaring Kaduna State a sovereign by ordering the residents to continue to recognise old N500 and N1,000 banknotes as legal tender contrary to presidential directives.”

The CNPP urged Nigerians in Kaduna and elsewhere to ignore Governor El-Rufai for their own good as only CBN can issue directives on legal tender in Nigeria on behalf of the president.

In a statement signed by its secretary general, Chief Willy Ezugwu, the CNPP also reiterated its call on the CBN to set up modalities for swapping old Naira notes for the Nigerian masses who may have been deceived by the APC Governors to keep their cash until the expiration of the naira swap deadline.

The CNPP noted that the presidential directive on temporary recirculation of old 200 naira notes as legal tender until April 10 was commendable in view of the obvious sabotage of the distribution of the redesigned naira notes by unpatriotic politicians conniving with commercial banks.

“Unpatriotic politicians who cannot win elections without vote buying are bent on stockpiling the new naira notes in their desperation to rig the 2023 general elections. This is the real reason for the cash crunch in Nigeria.

“For us, President Muhammadu Buhari would be declared a 2023 hero of democracy, and his administration’s many failures forgiven, if he sees through a free, fair, and credible 2023 general elections.

“We urge Nigerians not to allow themselves to be deceived by the APC governors who never took the federal government to court over police brutality (which culminated in the #EndSARS protests).

“Nigerians have experienced uncountable loss of lives and property as a result of insecurity, the pains of the perennial fuel scarcity and many other failed policies of the APC-led federal government but the APC Governors never made a statement but they were quick to drag the federal government to the Supreme Court for implementing its own cashless policy because of obvious vote buying agenda of the party.”

The CNPP said it will continue to stand on the side of the masses on the naira redesign policy which is part of Nigeria’s cashless policy implementation because of the overall benefits of the policy in the long-run, adding that a stable economy and better life for the average Nigerian in the future is worth the sacrifices and the temporary pains.

“Contrary to El-Rufai’s allegations that a nationwide shortage of cash was created to incite the citizens to vote against APC candidates across the board, resulting in massive losses for the party in all the elections, the fact is that APC government scored zero over eight in its eight years tenure and if Nigerians are voting against the party, it is not because of the impact of the cash crunch, but for continuously inflicting sufferings and pains on Nigerians since 2015.

“Governor El-Rufai was speaking from his own imagination when he alleged that the naira redesign policy was to ensure that the cash crunch is so serious, along with the contrived and enduring fuel shortage existing since September 2022, so that the 2023 elections do not hold at all, leading to an Interim National Government to be led by a retired Army General.

“The CNPP had on many occasions insisted that the lingering fuel scarcity was as a result of the corruption and incompetence of the management team of the NNPC. So, at what point did El-Rufai realise that the fuel scarcity is as a result of sabotage?”

It said after the glaring failure to perform in eight years, the APC governors and their collaborators have been making allegations and insinuating that there is a scheme for a military take-over.

“APC Governors must be told that the Nigerian military has subjected itself to civilian authorities in Nigeria’s democratic journey since 1999 and has continued to support internal security operations in the country and dragging the military into the desperation of some APC leaders was aimed at derailing President Muhammadu Buhari’s vow to leave a legacy of free, fair and credible elections this year. This is selfish and unpatriotic.

“The CNPP, therefore, urges Nigerians to ignore the conspiring APC governors and support the federal government’s cashless policy and look forward to a better country after rejecting vote buyers and electing credible candidates in the February 25 presidential and national assembly elections as well as in the March 11 gubernatorial and state assembly polls”, the CNPP said.