Naira Redesign Policy: APC Was Not Consulted Nor Aware And We Are Not Happy – Party Chieftain

The chairman of the Senate Committee on INEC,  Kabiru Ibrahim Gaya, has come out to say the All Progressives Congress (APC) was not consulted nor aware of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) naira redesign policy.

The APC chieftain said the plan for the policy was only between the CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele and President Muhammadu Buhari.

According to him even though the affairs of the government are different from those of the party, the APC is not happy about the fact they were not informed.

Gaya as gathered by Naija News made this point when he addressed the allegations of vote buying levelled against him by the NNPP’s Kano South candidate, AbduRahaman Kawu Sumaila.

He alleged that the government haphazardly conceived the policy and that the APC as a party was not aware of it.

He however said regardless of the challenges the policy is posing, the party would emerge victorious at the polls.

Gaya submitted that “Yes, we are not happy with the policy, because we are not even contacted, it was between President Muhammadu Buhari and the CBN Governor Godwin Emefiele, but, I’m assuring you that things will be alright and in the end, APC will win [the] Presidency, states, even Senate and other seats.

“You know there is a distinction between the government and the party. Our party, APC, will not allow this kind of policy to be slammed on citizens.

“We are attacking the system, because if there is a problem with the head you have to correct it; this decision on naira redesign was taken between President Buhari and the CBN Governor Godwin Emefiele; we are not saying he is alone in this but at least we should have been contacted for advise.”

Responding to the allegations of votes buying levelled against him by Sumaila, the APC chieftain maintained that “Who says distribution of empowerments, now or five years back is vote buying? Let me educates Kawu Sumaila a bit. Vote buying is done on the day of elections, by whichever means, no matter how small the amount [of money].

“Now, what we are doing is simply sympathizing with the masses who are seriously hit by the naira redesign programme. Go to villages, [and see people who] cannot even afford just N200.

“I have a whole book of 186 pages that I published on every project which I have executed, so Kawu Sumaila should prepare for serious defeats just like the other times I seriously defeated him.”