Nigeria’s general elections slated for Saturday, February 25, 2023, may not hold as scheduled, Starnews Nigeria reports.
Starnews Nigeria learnt that the Inspector-General of Police, Usman Baba, has suspended the movement and resumption of the 310,973 Personnel deployed for Saturday’s general elections in a new signal communicated by the Force Secretary in a new circular.
It was learnt the IGP directed all senior cops as well as police officers to remain in their various stations until further notice.
This may not be unconnected with the protests, civil unrest, and crisis in some parts of the country over the scarcity of new naira notes, a source who hinted at Starnews Nigeria on Monday evening told our correspondent.
Five days to the presidential and National Assembly elections, Nigerians are currently experiencing a shortage of new naira notes amid an acute scarcity of the old currency and fuel in the country which has similarly inflicted untold hardship and pain on millions of Nigerians, leaving several people stranded.
It has resulted in civil unrest and crisis in some parts of the country with videos online showing that two banks were set on fire in the Sagamu area of Ogun State on Monday (today).
Meanwhile, a Chieftain of the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC) and the Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, on Thursday night, alleged that the scarcity of naira notes was a part of the plots to disrupt the forthcoming elections to ensure the emergence of an interim government.
The Governor raised the allegation in a state broadcast on Thursday. But the Presidency, on Friday, said there are no plans by President Muhammadu Buhari to extend his tenure beyond May 29, 2023, or install an interim government.
“Let us clearly, specifically, and emphatically state that there is absolutely no truth to the claim that President Muhammadu Buhari is working towards an interim government or even worse, the truncation of democracy,” a statement signed by Buhari’s spokesperson, Garba Shehu, said.
The statement is titled, ‘Stop the joke about interim government, elections will hold.’
Shehu said, “The President looks forward to handing over the reins of power to his elected successor. This will happen on May 29, 2023, as the Constitution requires.
“What should be made crystal clear to the doubters and the speculators and the untruth-tellers is that in no way was the naira swap ‘engineered’ to keep the President in office beyond May 29. Nothing could be further from the truth,” the statement added.
But a security expert who does not want his name to be mentioned said something is fishy about Saturday’s election.
He said, “ let’s even assume that the IGP suspended the redeployment and resumption of police officers because of insecurity in the country due to the naira crisis, as a security expert, I must confess to you that it will be difficult for INEC to conduct an election under the atmosphere of civil unrest and chaos in some states. This election may not hold with the recent action of the IGP. Something is fishy my brother”, he added.
Starnews Nigeria reports that Ten States of the federation have asked the supreme court to declare the new directive of the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), reintroducing the old N200 notes and declaring old N500 and N1,000 notes as unconstitutional.
On Thursday, Buhari said he directed the Central Bank of Nigeria to recirculate only the old N200 notes to ease the hardship being experienced by the masses in accessing the new naira notes.
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