• As CBN governor, I will not be used to sabotage elections, Emefiele assured INEC
• Anti-June 12 elements are regrouping to sabotage the election through court orders, Ganduje said
• Attah-led compatriots charged INEC to conduct the election at all costs
• Mbeki leads Commonwealth election observers to Nigeria
With the general election barely two weeks away and naira scarcity being experienced across the country, the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, yesterday, met with the governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele, over the new naira policy, at the headquarters CBN in Abuja.
In a courtesy visit to the CBN, Yakubu expressed concern over the policy and how it will affect the 2023 general elections if not managed.
He said that some service providers, especially transporters, should be paid in cash and besides, experience shows that emergency situations occur on election days, which may call for the use of cash by the Commission.
He, therefore, sought concessions on the naira redesign policy with special reference to the restrictions imposed on cash withdrawals.
The INEC boss said: “Nigeria’s elections are big and complex. It requires the involvement of critical services and in line with the law and regulations of the exchange, service providers are generally paid by electronic transfer to their accounts. However, there are important areas such as transport and human support services which must be recorded immediately, in part, or in full before the service is provided.
“In addition, emergencies may arise that require immediate cash payments. Over the years, we have worked with the CBN, commercial banks to smoothly pay for these services during general elections, off-cycle and bye-elections. Over the years -for many years, the Commission has migrated all accounts at the national and state levels to the CBN and this arrangement has been made possible without hindrance to our activities.
“In light of the new policy involving the redesign of some of our currency denominations and the withdrawal limits and availability of cash, we consider this meeting important to address some areas of our concern with only 17 days to the election. We believe that any aspect of this meeting will reduce the feeling a concern shared by some service providers. We are determined to make the 2023 general election one of the best elections in Nigeria, but we cannot do it alone,” he said.
Responding, the CBN governor assured INEC, as well as Nigerians, that the apex bank will not do anything it cannot do successfully, assuring that the apex bank will supply the naira notes that INEC needs.
He said: “The relationship between the CBN dates back to before I became governor and the relationship, I would say, borders on trust and confidence.
“Currently, we have participated in the storage of INEC election materials and also use armored bullion vans to transport election materials. We are happy that in the course of this relationship, we have not disappointed you and that is the reason you have called me again this time.
“A few months ago, I came to your office and you are considering how foreign exchange can be sold for you to import the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and other forms of election materials that need to be imported and I gave you a promise. foreign exchange will be provided for the purpose I stand here to confirm that now, all the dollars needed to import the goods have been provided and the goods have been imported.
“So, all this is part of our commitment. Now this problem of pain and logistics for those who will transport the election materials, of course, the assurance I am giving you is that because we consider the INEC project as the highest or most important national task, we cannot fail and the Central Bank will not allow itself, either to be used or to be seen as an agent that frustrates the positive results of the Election.
“I am sitting here to give you that commitment. You have been responsible for the month anyway, it is not only about cash, and if in this case after making an electronic payment, you need some money to pay the transporters in cash, I guarantee that we will make available, so, it’s nothing to worry about.”
However, the governor of Kano State, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, said that elements working to cancel the presidential election of June 12, 1993 are regrouping and dangerously masquerading in the crisis caused by the CBN’s cash policy to scuttle the country’s hard-earned democracy.
Ganduje was reacting to an interim injunction by the Federal High Court in Abuja, stopping the CBN from extending the 10-day deadline for currency exchange.
The governor, in a statement by the Commissioner for Information, Malam Muhammad Garba, yesterday, observed that the open support for the policy by the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, showed great complicity between them. opposition parties and apex banks are deliberately thwarting their hard-earned democracy by imposing harsh policies calculated to humiliate the masses.
“The latest attempt by the group is to masquerade as an unknown political party by using legal instruments to further implement the unenforceable cash policy that is affecting the masses in the country. The unknown political party is also suspected to be in collusion with the PDP to carry out this evil plan .
“The strictness in the implementation of this harsh, inhumane and insensitive cash policy to the point of ignoring the widespread rejection by the majority of Nigerians, including the National Assembly and all state governors, is an evil agenda to destroy the nation. and consequently a smooth transition to the administration the success of those chosen freely and fairly,” Ganduje said.
In the same vein, a group of elder statesmen, led by the former governor of Akwa Ibom State, Obong Victor Attah, accused the Federal Government and INEC of ensuring that the 2023 general election was held “at cost”.
The group called ‘The Compatriots’, made the call in a statement by its chairman, Attah, after meeting with presidential candidates from several political parties in Abuja, yesterday.
The call comes amid claims that some Fifth Columnists are frantically seeking a permanent postponement of elections in February and March.
The group also called on Nigerians to ensure that the integrity and competence of INEC is protected to conduct free, fair and credible elections.
Presidential candidates at the meeting include the People’s Redemption Party (PRP), Kola Abiola; Prince Wole Adebayo of the Social Democratic Party (SDP); the partner of the Labor Party candidate Peter Obi, Dr. Datti Baba Ahmed and the representative of the PDP candidate, Atiku Abubakar, the former governor of Adamawa State, Boni Haruna.
Meanwhile, the Commonwealth has appointed former South African President Thabo Mbeki to lead a team of election observers to Nigeria ahead of the February 25 presidential election.
The observer group, which was formed by the Secretary General of the Commonwealth, Patricia Scotland, following an invitation received from INEC, included 15 others from around the Commonwealth.
Members of the group include Deputy Chief Electoral Officer, Department of Electoral and Boundaries, Barbados, Ian Browne; former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Botswana, Pelonomi Venson-Moitoi; Director, Africa Programme, Chatham House, UK, Dr Alex Vines; Fulbright scholar and terrorism and security expert, Canada, Dr. Andrew Knight; human rights and gender expert, Fiji, Tara Chetty; Executive Director, Institute for Democratic Governance, Ghana, Dr Emmanuel Akwetey; Chairman, Lesotho Council of Non-Governmental Organisations, Seabata Motsamai; and former Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for West Africa and the Sahel, Ghana, Dr Mohamed Chambas.
The others are the former Speaker of the East African Legislative Assembly, Martin Ngoga; former UN Deputy Permanent Representative in New York, Sarah Flood-Beaubrun; former Cabinet Secretary for Sport, Heritage and Culture; legal and data analysis expert, Kenya, Linda Bonyo; Director, Brenthurst Foundation, South Africa, Dr Gregory Mills; former Chief Electoral Officer, Electoral Commission of Zambia, Kryticous Nshindano; and journalist from Uganda, Josephine Karungi.
In a statement released on Tuesday, the Commonwealth said “the observers will be in Nigeria from February 18 to March 2. They will be supported by a team of staff from the Commonwealth Secretariat, led by Joshua Setipa, Senior Director of Strategy, Portfolio, Partnerships and Digital Division.”
Scotland said the Commonwealth remains a loyal and trusted partner in Nigeria’s continued journey to peaceful democratic governance. He said the Commonwealth which has overseen general elections in Nigeria since 1999 has shown its support for the promotion of democratic culture, processes and institutions in Nigeria.