The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has charged the leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) including its presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and APC state governors to immediately release billions of new naira notes supposedly in their custody to bring an end to the anguish being experienced by Nigerians.
The main opposition party said this in a Sunday statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba.
According to the PDP, the “same band of deceptive, sneaky and hypocritical APC leaders who are deeply involved in intercepting and hoarding of new Naira notes” have been pretending to be concerned about the plight of the people.
The PDP urged the people not to be hoodwinked by the “wicked and unpardonable” acts of the APC-led government.
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“It is instructive to state that the controversial Naira redesign and swap policies are programmes of the APC administration which is also completely in control of the production and circulation of the new notes.
“The APC leaders having realised that they cannot win in the 2023 general elections, sabotaged the system and diverted the new Naira notes so as to create widespread social unrest to justify their plan to derail the elections and truncate our democracy.
“Our Party has been informed by some well-meaning APC members on how six APC State governors led by a particular infamous Governor of a prominent State in the North West region are coordinating the hoarding of new Naira notes for the vote buying scheme of the APC ahead of the February 25, 2023 Presidential election.
“The PDP has also been made aware of how APC governors are allegedly warehousing the new Naira notes in facilities owned by APC interests in Lagos, Kano, Kogi, Kaduna, Imo and other parts of the country for the purpose of vote buying for Senator Tinubu in the Presidential election.
“Nigerians can recall that the APC was recently busted in the process of swapping the sum of N22.5 billion in old N1000 notes for new ones in Kano State for vote buying, in a deal wherein a substantial part of the old notes was allegedly conveyed to Lagos State for secret swapping with new notes,” the PDP said.
The PDP said it was callous for “APC leaders to continue to watch Nigerians spend nights at ATM stands, fight one another in bank halls and ATM centres for cash with millions stranded without money to take care of their daily needs”.
The PDP called on Nigerians to hold the APC and its leaders directly responsible for the pain, economic hardship, social dislocation and psychological distress they are going through on account of APC-induced cash scarcity in the country.