Author: The Nation

Concerned by the spate of violent protests in some parts of the country over the unpopular monetary policy of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), the presidential flag bearer of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu has called for a truce.

The frontline presidential candidate in a statement he signed on Wednesday night expressed concern over the spread of the protest and sympathised with Nigerians over the harrowing time the currency redesign policy has thrown on the people.

The statement reads: “I am saddened by reports of violent protests in parts of our country today, especially in Delta, Oyo, Kwara and Edo states. In Delta, there were reports of arson and destruction of bank branches.

“I sympathise with all Nigerians who are going through the pains of not being able to get money from banks and ATM points to meet their basic daily needs. I also sympathize with the banks for being victims of the CBN currency redesign policy.

“Be rest assured that this phase will soon pass away as our governments at both the federal and state levels are working to surmount the current challenges.

“With the Supreme Court reaffirming its order of 8 February on monetary authorities to allow the old and new Naira notes to circulate together, I believe a solution is right on the way and the scarcity of Naira notes will soon be over.

“I am happy to note the various measures being put in place by many of our Governors to cushion the effect of the scarcity of Naira on households.”

Appealing to the youths to restrain themselves from resorting to violent protest, he urged them not to take the law into their hands through destructive protests.

“We feel your pains and frustration but destroying lives and properties will not solve any problem.

“Rather, it will only complicate the crisis we have on our hands.

“We must keep the peace and remain calm.

“Let us not be provoked. Instead, let us cooperate with the government in seeking immediate and lasting solutions.

“This difficult time shall soon be over. We must keep hope alive as we move forward to a better, stronger and more prosperous Nigeria of our dream. God bless you all.”

Kaduna Governor Malam Nasir El-Rufai has revealed how Federal Government officials reached out to All Progressives Congress (APC) with some proposals on the cash swap crisis. 

Some APC Governors have dragged the Federal Government to the Supreme Court over the cash swap deadline. 

El-Rufai said the Federal.Government proposed a out-of-court settlement on the matter, which the Governors rejected. 

He said the rejection was because the FG team’s proposal was laced with lies to the effect that the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has already destroyed all the old N1,000 and N500 notes it retrieved from circulation.

El-Rufai, in a statement on Wednesday evening by his Special Adviser Media and Communication, Muyiwa Adekeye, said the Federal Government team were proposing only old N200 notes should remain legal tender and returned into circulation till 10 April, 2023.

The statement, which was to debunk report of a meeting between the Federal Government and the Nigerian Governors Forum or Progressive Governors Forum, said there was no such meeting. 

The statement reads: “A few hours after the Supreme Court adjourned the “currency redesign” case today, The Cable, a respected publication, published what it described as an exclusive story regarding the intentions of the Federal Government on the matter.

“Malam Nasir El-Rufai would like to clarify that The Cable has been misled by its sources on this issue. There has been no meeting this week between the FG and either the Nigerian Governors’ Forum (NGF) or the Progressive Governors Forum (PGF), not to talk of one lasting till the wee hours of today, Wednesday, 15 February 2023.

“Rather, senior officials of the FG reached some governors, including Malam Nasir El-Rufai, on phone to initiate discussions on a possible out of court settlement. The terms they proposed were to allow only the old N200 note to remain legal tender and be circulated by the CBN till 10 April 2023. They claimed that the CBN had already destroyed the old N500 and N1000 notes that had been deposited, but that those persons who still held the old notes could redeem them up to 10 April 2023.

“These were not considered as serious proposals, for obvious reasons. Circulating the old N200 notes alone would not be sufficient to relieve widespread human suffering in Kaduna State, and indeed in Nigeria today. They knew that and that is why they falsely claimed that the CBN had already destroyed the old N500 and N1000 notes. This is contrary to the fact available to the governors to the effect that the old notes were in the custody of commercial bank branches throughout Nigeria until the evening of Monday, February 13, and not a single N500 or N1000 had been destroyed.

“It is also a non-starter to insist on a new cut off date without first assuring that sufficient new notes would have been printed and circulated. Information available to the governors also indicate that the Mint will need at least 12 months to print the minimum amount of N1 trillion needed to ensure a functioning trade and exchange environment in Nigeria.

“The tabling of false facts, inadequate solutions to the sufferings of our people, and the bad faith that some of the FG negotiators displayed in our phone conversations and chats have now been taken further in leaking a false account and context to a respected medium. The plaintiff governors rejected the draft proposal as insincere, and invested our hopes in the Supreme Court of Nigeria.

“Malam Nasir El-Rufai will be addressing the people of Kaduna State on this currency redesign mess, the consequences of the extension of the injunction of the Supreme Court of Nigeria, and related matters tomorrow. But the Kaduna State Government feels it is important tonight not to allow an exclusive falsehood to stand, or even gain the slightest traction. This statement is therefore issued to put the records straight.”

The leadership of the Abia chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has explained it dropped the running mate to the late Prof. Uche Ikonne, Hon. Okey Igwe, because he has dual citizenship.

Publicity Secretary and Vice Chairman Abia North, Hon. Amah Abraham, told The Nation on the phone the party took the decision to avoid going into the March 11 contest without any governorship candidate.
He said: “Our former guber candidate is deceased and as a result of that, a section of the Electoral Act was activated. That section of the Electoral Act which was activated requires a primary to be conducted and in conducting fresh primaries means that a new candidate must emerge from the party and that was exactly what has happened.
“A new candidate has emerged and one of the legal privileges of a candidate who emerged as a flagbearer of the party either as a governor or a President is the first privilege that accrues to the person is the right to nominate his or her running mate.

“Nobody or institution compels you to adopt somebody. Of course, a candidate can choose his running mate by consulting with the party, but it is the candidate that will eventually determine his or her running mate.

“So, when Prof. Ikonne died, the joint ticket with his deputy or running mate died as well. Whoever that was his running mate ceases to exist as a running mate because nobody elected the running mate in any party primary. The person who was elected was Prof. Ikonne and that is the person who is vested with the powers to nominate.

“If he who was nominated had died, the nominator would have been empowered to re-nominate another person. That is what happened.

“The truth is that he is a very qualified person. The truth is that we feel so bad that he is no longer the deputy governorship candidate of the party. But you see, his private interest as an individual cannot override the interest of the party.

“One of the reasons the new governorship candidate didn’t consider him (Okey Igwe) is also based on legal issues and one of those legal issues is that as of the time that he (Okey Igwe) was already a running mate, a matter came up in a Federal High Court sitting in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, where a candidate was challenged that in a Federal High Court that he is not eligible on the grounds that he has dual citizenship and the Federal High Court ruled in the matter that anybody who has pledged allegiance to a foreign country cannot be qualified to stand for public office in Nigeria. That person was disqualified.

“Now, the person took the matter to the Court of Appeal and the Court of Appeal quashed the decision of the Federal High Court and the matter is before the Supreme Court.

“He is a dual citizen; he has served in the American Military and the rest of the things that were part of the plus which he had as a person and if for any reason those things which were part of his plus have now developed legal challenges, then we cannot because of his individual interest take a risk that will make our party go into an election without a candidate.

“As a party, we felt that it was not necessary to start talking about the challenges that made the party to drop him but we are now addressing this issue because of the position that he (Okey Igwe) is taking now and that is why it has become important that we explain to the public reasons for our actions.”