An anti-sabotage organisation under the aegis of The Natives has said the 13 political parties threatening to boycott the 2023 general elections if the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) extend the deadline for new Naira notes policy beyond February 10 are stinking and insensitive to the plights of Nigerians.
The Natives described the said political parties as “agents of sabotage which are unmindful of the suffering of the Nigerian masses as a result of CBN’s current policy.”
Some registered political parties had reportedly threatened to boycott the forthcoming general elections should CBN extend the deadline.
At a press conference on Monday, the spokesperson of the forum and national chairman of Action Alliance, Chief Barrister Kenneth Udeze, flanked by other parties’ national chairmen, some presidential candidates, governorship, senatorial, House of Representatives as well as House of Assembly candidates, announced the decision, saying the Naira policy will enhance the credibility of the 2023 election.
But responding to the development through a statement signed Wednesday in Abuja, by The Natives’ President General, Hon Smart Edwards, condemned the action of the parties and declared that Nigerians do not know whether the said political parties exist on the ballot papers.
According to Edwards, no prominent and well-rooted grassroot political party will support a policy implementation that is inflicting hardship on Nigerians, these parties are like one-man portfolio political parties and therefore not in contention.
The statement called on Nigerians to identify individuals and their political organisations behind the threat to sabotage them and inflict more pain on the masses.
“Nigerians are fighting in the banks, attacking themselves on the queues, throwing stones at public buildings, petty traders and commuters are frustrated yet platforms seeking people’s votes are making insensitive statements as regards general elections when citizens are grieving. We make bold to say these political parties are simply insensitive and lack grassroots empathy.
How does a Keke driver transact business with his passengers successfully? How will drivers pay to enter markets, how will passengers transport back to their respective homes when Mobil networks are unstable and so on? What do you expect of a petty Tomato seller? When the implementation at the urban locations is poor as seen, one can only imagine the pains in hinterlands, byways and villages.
“Nigerians are compelled to surrender their living and livelihoods to outrageous POS operators whose network only appears after hours of frustration. This is a poor impression of a good vision.
“The citizens who are groaning under the redesigned of Naira policy do not know whether these insensitive political robbers exist on the ballot papers. If they cannot see the pain the entire country is experiencing through the ill-motivated sabotage of people’s livelihoods either by the banks, printers or providers of the money, then the relevance of these political parties should be questioned,” the statement said.
The group also faulted the CBN for employing the wrong strategies for the implementation of the new Naira policy and their inability to wield the big stick against bank saboteurs.
“The talk is no longer about the redesigning, the banks have made it faulty. If the purpose is good, the implementation looks satanic. How do you withdraw money from the whole country and refuse to let them access their money, creating chaos and panic among ordinary Nigerians, some locals think the government has no money, and some believe their money has been trapped in a financial crisis.
“We stand unequivocally with the Governor Nasir el-Rufai of Kaduna State for his forthrightness, boldness and ability to speak up for the masses by speaking truth to power.
“We also salute the APC governors that rose to consult the President, as well as commend the compassionate approach of President Muhammadu Buhari by appealing to the Nation and its citizens. This is how to govern, when factoring in how poorly managed the intention was by CBN, the outcry and a search for a solution within seven days are applauded, so we would welcome a resolution by the Supreme Court against this 13-Party Comedy.
“Therefore, The position of these 13 political parties is pointless, shameful and insane. We don’t hope there are Nigerians in these political parties.
The outburst of the APC presidential candidate (Bola Tinubu) was in line with the yearning of the people across the country and the swift response of both the government and security agencies was a stitch in time.”
The group urged the CBN to urgently arrest the situation, saying there are millions of Nigerians whose nightmares are a result of currency shortage, who also want them to expose the bank sabotage.
