By Editor
No fewer than fourteen out of the 18 registered political parties participating in the 2023 general elections have threatened to withdraw their participation from the election if the federal government and the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, cancel or suspend for whatever reasons the cash withdrawal limit and Naira redesign policies.
This position was made known at a joint world press conference by the Forum of Chairmen of Nigerian Political Parties and Forum of Candidates for the 2023 General Election.
The candidates forum comprised presidential, National Assembly, governorship and House of Assembly candidates.
In the text read by the spokesperson of the forum, Chief Kenneth Udeze, the National Chairman of Action Alliance,and flanked by other national chairmen, presidential candidates, governorship, senatorial and House of Representatives as well as House of Assembly candidates, the forum tasked the federal government not to back down on the policies.
"“We hereby announce our resolution that at least 14 of the 18 political parties in Nigeria will not be interested in the 2023 general election and indeed we shall withdraw all our participation from the electoral process if these currency policies are suspended or cancelled or if the deadline is further shifted," it said in a text read before newsmen by Udeze at the event.
The forum said the policy will enhance the credibility of the 2023 election .
“In fact, if these policies are implemented fully and without shifting the deadline of 10th February, 2023 date, President Muhammadu Buhari would have taken a very huge step closer to fulfilling his promise to the world that the 2023 general election would be credible, free and fair.”
The group claimed that it had intercepted "very credible intelligence of a well-financed plot to instigate violent disturbances aimed at undermining the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari.
“We have intercepted very credible intelligence of a well-financed plot to instigate violent disturbances, incite and provoke civil unrest aimed at undermining the president and causing a shift in the election date or causing his administration to come to an abrupt end. We were approached to lend our support, generous promises were made but we believe that Nigeria comes first before any other mundane consideration.
"We call on the State Security Service to put those responsible on the watch list as they are seriously mobilizing miscreants to begin as quickly a possible protests which will now commence from Naira scarcity protests and graduate quickly to Buhari -Must- Go protests which is the ultimate aim, where the President refuses to bulge and shift the policy.
“These evil plans are targeted at coinciding the disturbances with the seven-day grace Mr. President asked Nigerians to grant him to solve the problem of the Naira crunch,"the group said.
The political parties and the candidates thereafter passed a resounding vote of confidence on the two CBN policies and commended President Buhari for his rare courage in taking these tough decisions for the good of the people.
The group called on banks' managers to "do what is right and not abuse their offices to bring hardship to the people."
“We are warning bank managers, because we have our eyes on them, let what happened before not happen again where CBN delivered the new notes to them and many of them delivered it to the warehouses of some politicians while some began to trade on it resulting in the ongoing artificial scarcity which they caused.
"POS operators who are mostly agents of the banks cannot get money from the banks. ATM machines are not working, bank online applications are not now working ,yet CBN delivered enough cash to these banks," it fumed.
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