from EMEKA OKONKWO in Abuja, Nigeria
Nigeria Bureau
ABUJA, (CAJ News) – ALLEGATIONS of vote buying are increasing ahead of Nigeria’s elections.
This after the Supreme Court temporarily suspended the Friday deadline of the central bank to stop using old banknotes.
The court’s ruling is in favour of some governors of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of the outgoing president, Muhammadu Buhari, who incidentally were against the extension of the deadline.
Conference Of Nigeria Political Parties (CNPP), the umbrella body of registered political parties and political associations in the country, declared the action of governors as seeking to ambush the naira redesign policy of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) as a plot to retain the old naira notes for the purpose of vote buying.
“From all indications, the APC is afraid of losing in the 2023 general elections hence the desperation to kill the CBN monetary policy that could checkmate the use of illicit funds for elections,” argued CNPP Secretary General, Willy Ezugwu.
“While appreciating the security and anti-graft agencies for their efforts in mitigating the ongoing economic sabotage by desperate politicians through the commercial banks, we urge them to do more to ensure that illicit and proceeds of crime are not deployed by vote buyers in the forthcoming general elections.”
CNPP believes APC is portraying Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele, as their enemy amid the cash crunch.
Thus, this would portray the Supreme Court as the savior in this crisis.
“The CNPP is therefore afraid that if the Supreme Court continues to allow itself to be willing instrument of destabilisation ahead of forthcoming elections, Nigerians will lose the current enthusiasm and faith in the political process,” Ezugwu said.
Nigeria has been tense in recent days following the cash shortages after the central bank’s redesigning the higher denominations of the naira and imposing deadlines for corresponding notes to be submitted to the apex bank.
Yet, the CBN collected more notes that it distributed for circulation. This has resulted in crippling cash shortages and an emergence of an illegal market for what is now a highly-sought after new naira.
General polls are set for February 25.
– CAJ News