“Thirteen” out of the 18 political parties in Nigeria have threatened to withdraw from the February 25 and March 11 general elections in Nigeria over the naira redesign policy of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Channels Television reported.
At a briefing by a coalition of chairmen of political parties on Monday, the “13 parties” said they won’t be interested in the elections if the February 10 deadline for old N1,000, N500 and N200 notes is shifted as demanded by some governors of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
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The “13 parties” also knocked the Kaduna, Kogi and Zamfara State Governments for heading to the Supreme Court to get court injunction to extend the deadline for the validity of three old notes.
“We hereby announce that at least 13 out of the 18 political parties in Nigeria will not be interested in the 2023 general elections and indeed we shall withdraw our participation from the electoral process if this currency policies are suspended or cancelled or if the deadline is further shifted,” Kenneth Udeze, the National Chairman of the Action Alliance, who briefed the pressmen, said.
He said the 13 parties condemns Kaduna, Kogi and Zamfara State Governments for heading to the Supreme Court to get a court injunction to extend the deadline for the validity of three old notes.
Investogist reported earlier that governments of Kaduna, Kogi and Zamfara have dragged the Federal government before the Supreme Court, seeking a restraining order to stop the full implementation of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN)’s naira redesign policy.
In a motion ex-parte filed on their behalf by their lawyer, AbdulHakeem Uthman Mustapha (SAN), the three states are urging the apex court to grant them an interim injunction stopping the Federal Government either by itself or acting through the CBN, the commercial banks or its agents from carrying out its plan of ending the timeframe within which the now older versions of the 200, 500 and 1000 denominations of the Naira may no longer be legal tender on February 10, 2023,
The redesign of the N1,000, N500, and N200 notes which was approved by President Buhari last year has created untold hardship among Nigerians due to the scarcity of the new notes as the February 10th deadline for the currency swap draws closer.
President Buhari had on Friday asked Nigerians to give him seven days to resolve the cash crisis caused by the policy of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to redesign the naira notes.
Ifunanya Ikueze is an Engineer, Safety Professional, Writer, Investor, Entrepreneur and Educator.
