Naira Crisis: Political Parties Admit Struggling To Source Cash For Payment Of Mobilisation

As Nigeria goes to polls tomorrow, political parties have confessed to struggling to source cash for the payment of party agents and other mobilisation of logistics.

Naija News gathered from The Punch that officials of political parties like the All Progressives Congress (APC), the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the New Nigerian Peoples Party (NNPP) have complained about how the new naira policy has affected them.

It was learnt that the Director of Strategic Communications for the APC Presidential Campaign Council, Idris Mohammed, submitted that there was no party that can boast of having bulk cash to pay its supporters for mobilisation and other logistics.

According to him, “It is a general problem as you know. We are not aware of anybody getting bulk money from our party. The FG has instituted a cashless policy and there is nothing we can do than to go with the policy. We have mentioned it here and the presidential candidate has also said over again that it is going to be a tough situation.

“This is not just for the election but for ordinary Nigerians. It is going to be hard for anybody to get cash.”

Similarly, the Chief Spokesman for the NNPP Presidential Campaign Council, Ladipo Johnson, admitted to the APC’s stand, saying not only political parties are affected but the general public.

The NNPP chieftain said politicians seem to be the worse hit by the cash crunch.

He noted that “We are not excluded from anything going on in this country. I know the country is difficult at the moment and that the masses are suffering as a result of the cash squeeze policy. We understand the long-term benefit of it. But it is very painful in the short term.”

On his part, Victor Oye, National Chairman of APGA, said the cash crisis had made it difficult for his party to take care of “some basic things.”

Also the National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Debo Ologunagba said “The challenge of the cash crunch is all over the place and it is part of the legacy of the APC. No matter how good their policies appear, implementation is always a problem. This election is about our lives, and our survival and no sacrifice will be too if we are to be rescued from this situation. As a party, we sympathize with Nigerians.

“We are hurt particularly in an election period but our appeal to Nigerians is that irrespective of the difficulty that the APC has brought upon this country including the sabotaging within the party of the cash policy, they should keep the faith.”