Naira Crisis: APC urges FG, CBN to obey S-Court order, seeks Buhari’s intervention

By Omeiza Ajayi, ABUJA

The ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, has asked the Federal Government and the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, to comply with the interim order of the Supreme Court which asked parties to maintain the status quo with regards to the naira redesign policy of the apex bank.

This was the outcome of a meeting between state governors of the party, the National Working Committee, NWC and APC Presidential Candidate, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, which held yesterday in Abuja.

The party also asked President Muhammadu Buhari to urgently intervene and halt the current sufferings of the people.

Governors Nasir El-Rufai, Yahaya Bello and Bello Matawalle had earlier taken the Federal Government to the Supreme Court seeking an injunction to suspend the Naira Swap policy of the CBN which has caused untold hardships to Nigerians.

Although the apex court gave an interim order for the Federal Government to maintain the status quo and allow Nigerians to continue to use the old Naira notes, its decision was completely disregarded by the government which has continued with its disruptive implementation.

In a brief interview at the end of the meeting, Adamu said; “I am sure you are quite aware of the fact that a meeting comprising of APC governors was held today and the leadership of the NWC of our great party was summoned for this afternoon and we had discussions and at the end of the discussions, we have resolved as follows and this resolution is without prejudice whatsoever to the case that is lying at the Supreme Court at this point in time. This has to do with the issue of currency redesign.

“We note very seriously that the programme and its implementation is causing tremendous difficulties to the people of Nigeria and to the national economy.

“That, we urge the Attorney-General of the Federation and the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria to respect the Supreme Court order of interim injunction which is still subsisting.

“That the meeting is urging His Excellency, Mr President to intervene in resolving issues that are causing these great difficulties to the economy.”

Also speaking, Chairman of the Progressive Governors Forum PGF, a platform for all APC governors, Atiku Bagudu of Kebbi state, said all the parties at the meeting endorsed the resolution.

He said; “We are on the same page. The APC Governors Forum, the NWC is one party. We are all together.

“The chairman said the governors and the party are one and the same and I am very proud about the conduct of our campaigns by our presidential candidate under the able leadership of our party led by Abdullahi Adamu and the D-G of the Campaign Council and the governors alongside all our APC candidates across the country who have been doing a tremendous job of mobilizing Nigerians”.

7 govs shun meeting

Meanwhile, seven governors of the ruling All Progressives Congress APC on Sunday boycotted an emergency meeting convened by the Senator Abdullahi Adamu-led National Working Committee NWC of the party.

The meeting which began at 2:35 pm was convened to issues relating to the party’s state of preparedness for Saturday’s Presidential and National Assembly Elections vis-a-vis the worsening scarcity of the Naira and lingering fuel shortages which have fuelled mass discontent across the country.

Absentees

Those who were absent from the meeting were Babagana Umara Zulum (Borno), Ben Ayade (Cross River), Dave Umahi (Ebonyi), Abdullahi Umar Ganduje (Kano), Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq (Kwara), Dapo Abiodun (Ogun) and Rotimi Akeredolu (Ondo).

Govs. Aminu Bello Masari (Katsina) and Hope Uzodinma (Imo) however sent their deputies.

Those who attended the meeting were Simon Bako Lalong (Plateau), Abdullahi Sule (Nasarawa), Abubakar Sani Bello (Niger), Nasir El-Rufai (Kaduna) and Yahaya Bello (Kogi).

Others are Mohammed Inuwa Yahaya (Gombe), Mai Mala Buni (Yobe), Bello Matawalle (Zamfara), Biodun Oyebanji (Ekiti), Babajide Sanwo-olu (Lagos), Atiku Bagudu (Kebbi) and Mohammed Badaru (Jigawa).

Presidential candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress APC, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu however stormed the meeting midway

Tinubu arrived the party secretariat at about 5:15pm.

In his opening remarks, Adamu expressed happiness at the response of the governors.

“I am happy with the response so far and it is my understanding that more of our members are still on their way coming.

“You will recall the recent developments that have necessitated the need for this invitation.

“We do not want to sit in judgment on anybody with regards to where we are today in the country as it affects our great party.

“I thought the best thing to do is to get all those who are holding forth in their respective positions and who were elected on the platform of the party to get together and have some interaction so that we can have a better understanding of what situation we are in.

“That is the essence of this invitation. And it is my pleasure to welcome you most sincerely to this interaction”, Adamu said at the opening session.

Row in NWC

Those who attended the meeting from the NWC were Adamu, the Deputy National Chairman (North), Senator Abba Kyari; Deputy National Chairman (South) Chief Emma Eneukwu and the National Secretary, Otunba Iyiola Omisore.

Vanguard had on Sunday reported a split in the NWC, following concerns that most members of the body were not invited to the meeting.

“The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), His Excellency, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, invites State Governors of the Party to an emergency meeting to be held on Sunday, February 19, 2023, by 2 pm at the National Secretariat, Abuja”, party spokesman, Felix Morka said in a notice sent out Friday night.

However, at least two members of the NWC have now said they were not aware of the meeting.

Speaking off record, both men said the meeting was at the instance of Adamu and not the NWC.

“I am not aware of any meeting with our state governors on Sunday. In fact, I only got to know you after I read your story on your website. So, you were the one who even informed me”, he said.

The second official, also said the NWC never met and resolved that it should call for such a parley with the governors.

“The said meeting is strange to some of us. I have not been invited and I am a member of the NWC. Yet, we saw reports quoting our spokesman as saying that ‘NWC meets Party State Governors’. I am not aware of any such meeting”, he stated.

Vanguard checks revealed that at least, three other members of the NWC were indeed within the party secretariat but were allegedly “barred” from attending the meeting on the orders of Adamu.

‘Word of caution’

A source, who was privy to some discussions at the meeting said Adamu expressed displeasure at the outbursts of some of the governors against President Muhammadu Buhari on the Naira redesign policy.

“The chairman said such outbursts were putting the party in a bad light and advised against resorting to the media.

“However, one of the governors also reacted that if the party had taken a position on the matter before now, perhaps they (governors) would not have gone public. He complained that the meeting was coming too late”, he said.

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