How Emefiele Conned Buhari Into Accepting Naira Redesign- Oshiomole

Adams Oshiomole, former Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), on Sunday lampooned the Central Bank of Nigeria’s (CBNs) recent policy of redesigning of some denominations of the nation’s currency and the hardship Nigerians face in getting the new notes as ill-timed and deliberate to scuttle the forthcoming general elections.

In a television interview, Oshiomole faulted the policy,  arguing that it was senseless and a plot by the apex bank to scuttle the general elections, adding that the governor of the central bank, Godwin Emefiele, tricked President Muhammadu Buhari and sold an anti-corruption motive to him, which made him approve the policy.

“I can guess that in obtaining the approval, which the president gave, I believe the CBN governor deceived the president by amplifying it that if we must have a corruption free election, as if the election is the only project which the president has responsibility for,” he said.

According to Oshiomhole, the CBN governor acted on another motive other than protecting the currency. He claimed that the CBN sold to the President that redesigning the naira notes would curb vote buying and thus catch corrupt politicians off guard. “The President Buhari that I know will have no difficulty in agreeing,” he said, arguing that the CBN governor Godwin Emefiele “knows better than that”.

Oshiomhole claimed the apex bank had other motives. “You could see that the intention of the Bank is not to eliminate abuses but to stop the elections from taking place,” he said.

According to him, the move was meant to cause unrest, shift the government’s attention, and ultimately make the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) lose the elections. “If you have riots like you had in Ibadan and Benin – I don’t know anywhere else – and they were taking place simultaneously, and you are now dealing with the issue of protecting lives and properties, will elections become a priority?” the APC chieftain asked.

He added: “So, it is in that context that whoever scuttles the elections would have scuttled the chances of the APC winning the election,” he said, adding: “So, it is in that context that whoever scuttles the elections would have scuttled the chances of the APC winning the election.”