Ahead of the 2023 elections, the Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP) has said that the new policy of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to redesign the naira notes is vital and will help to ensure a credible election in the February polls.
Commending the CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele for the policy, at a press conference in Abuja, the spokesman of CUPP, Ikenga Imo Ugochinyere, pointed out that the redesigning of the Naira will be a major setback for illicit transactions and vote buyers who have already stacked up cash for the elections.
He also commended the CBN Governor for this outstanding contribution to free, fair, credible, acceptable, and inclusive elections.
The CUPP, has, however, took the the Speaker of the House, Femi Gbajabiamila to the cleaner over alleged orchestrated plot to scuttle the CBN policy with an illegal Currency Change Procedure Amendment Bill.
CUPP noted that the primary aim of the proposed Bill at the House of Representatives is to scuttle the CBN policy and stall the redesign of the naira currency, buying them time to use their stacked-up cash for vote buying in the February elections.
Alleging that powerful people are behind the move in the House of Representatives, the spokesperson of the opposition warned Nigerians and the remaining credible lawmakers to resist this move.
“The redesigning of the naira currency policy is a welcome one and has come to stay for the clean-up and development of our electoral processes. The unpatriotic move by the Speaker will fail woefully,” he said.
The CUPP maintained that those who have looted Lagos state treasury over the years and now own naira warehouses want to use the stashed cash to buy power into Aso Rock just the way they purchased their party’s presidential ticket.
He stressed that the opposition would support the CBN not to shift the 31st January deadline date for the current note to cease to be legal tender.
The coalition also called on the Senate not to concur in passing the Bill and also urged the President where in the unlikely event the National Assembly members betray the people not to sign the Bill into law.
“The godfathers behind this Bill have made handsome provisions to procure the support of majority of the members of the National Assembly,” he said.
The opposition further wondered why Speaker Gbajabiamila would want to hurriedly pass an amendment that would render a laudable CBN policy ineffective if not for political reasons.
