Northern groups accuse CBN, others of plotting to scuttle 2023 elections
January 27,2023
The Coalition of Northern Groups (CNG) on Thursday accused the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and other powerful Nigerians of planning to scuttle next month’s general elections with the Naira notes redesign and fuel scarcity.
The spokesman of CNG, Suleiman Abdul-Azeez, who addressed at a press conference in Abuja, accused the CBN of inflicting pains on Nigerians and make the atmosphere tensed for the elections.
He argued that the current fuel scarcity across the country was artificial and engineered by politicians with ulterior motives
He said: “CNG notes particularly, the ratification and vigorous pursuit of a regime of harsh unrealistic economic and financial policies less than a month to the election, inflicting pains on the electorates and heating up the political atmosphere.
“Another hard proof of potential threat to a peaceful transition through an acceptable electoral process, is having fuel scarcity grounding activities and frustrating the population a month to the election.
“At the same time, embarking on Naira Exchange and making the new currency scarce by the CBN is another latent ground for suspicion
The timing for the implementation of such a policy in a country in which the total number of deposit money bank branches is just 5,437 with a concentration 1624 branches in Lagos alone, other southern states 2235, and the entire Northern Nigerian states 1188, Abuja 390 is certainly a calculated to effort to bring about general confusion that would threaten the 2023 polls.
The hard stance on no going back on the January 31st deadline despite the patriotic intervention of the Nigerian Senate urging the CBN to extend the deadline by six months, the outright rejection of the policy by the Federal House of Representatives and the Nigerian Governors’ Forum, has inadvertently made the situation all the more suspicious.”
The coalition, therefore, urged President Muhammadu Buhari to stand against the powerful people who are determined to deny Nigerians credible elections next month.
