Naira Redesign is Senseless and Ploy to Scuttle 2023 elections – Adams Oshiomole

The former National Chairman of All Progressives Congress National Chairman, Comrade Adams Oshiomole on Sunday, joined other ruling party chieftains claiming that the naira redesign was aimed at scuttling the presidential election.

The former Governor of Edo state alleged that Mr Godwin Emefiele, the Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria deceived President Muhammadu Buhari, adding that the intent of the CBN Governor was to prevent the elections from holding.

This claim was made by Oshiomhole during an interview on Sunday’s live episode of The Verdict on Channels Television. The President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd), was allegedly tricked into endorsing the naira redesign program, according to the former governor of Edo State.

While exonerating Buhari of any wrongdoing, the APC leader asserted that, despite not knowing the circumstances surrounding the President’s support of the policy, he thought Buhari had been deceived.

Oshimole described the naira redesign policy as senseless. He said, “CBN’s naira redesign policy is senseless… CBN deceived Buhari and the intention behind it was to stop the elections.”

According to the former governor, the bank sold an anti-corruption motive to the President which made him approve the policy.

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“So, I can guess – I was not there – that in obtaining the approval, I believe the CBN deceived the President by amplifying the need to have corruption-free electioneering as if the election is the only project this President has a responsibility for,” Oshiomhole said.

He added that the apex bank allegedly exploited the anti-corruption stance of the President in getting him to agree to the policy.

“The President Buhari that I know will have no difficulty in agreeing,” he said.

The former APC chairman further alleged that the intention of CBN was to allegedly prevent the presidential election from holding on the scheduled date and scuttle APC winning chances.

“You could see that the intention of the bank is not to eliminate abuses but to stop the elections from taking place.

“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?

“So, it is in that context that whoever scuttles the elections would have scuttled the chances of the APC winning the election,” Oshiomhole argued.