On Friday, All Progressives Congress (APC)-elected governors met with President Muhammadu Buhari at the State House in Abuja, to discuss the presidential election on February 25.
The conversation was focused primarily on the re-designing of the naira and the fuel shortage, two issues that have heightened Nigerians’ discontent with the ruling party.
“On the agenda of the governors are the statewide fuel shortage and the new Naira notes, which have caused social and economic stress for Nigerians, particularly small companies that rely on daily cash transactions,” the post states.
The revamping of some banknotes by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the tight deadline have pitted some members of the ruling party against the administration in recent weeks.
On Wednesday, Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai accused the Presidency of plotting against the electoral success of the ruling party. Similarly, he distanced the APC from several initiatives of the current administration.
Reportedly, the governor aimed to convince the President to change his position on the implementation of the cashless policy, which has created tremendous misery for the populace.
Prof. Ibrahim Gambari, the President’s Chief of Staff, is also present for the meeting, which is attended by no less than eleven APC governors.
At the meeting were the governors of the states of Kaduna, Ebonyi, Ogun, Imo, Zanfara, Kebbi, Yobe, Lagos, Kano, Kwara, and Niger.
The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, told reporters that there would be no briefing after the meeting; nonetheless, he stated that a statement will be published regarding the conclusion of the discussion held in the Council Chambers.
Mallam Nasir el-Rufai, governor of Kaduna State, has recently taken the lead among the ruling party’s governors in calling for a review of the currency swap policy, which he claims is intended to thwart the ambitions of the APC’s presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, by Fifth Columnists in the Villa.
In addition, the governor of Kano State, Umar Ganduje, a close supporter of Mr. Tinubu, recently sent a letter to Mr. Buhari prior to his visit to Kano State, expressing discontent in his state against the administration over the revamping of the currency.
Even though the president later visited the state after the deadline for the legality of the old naira notes was extended, there were claims that some furious youngsters pelted the president’s vehicle with stones.
Mr. Tinubu let the cat out of the bag earlier when he indicated that the devaluation of the Naira and fuel scarcity are intentional and intended to undermine his election.
Mr. Tinubu stated in a statement issued in Abeokuta, the state capital of Ogun, that he will win the election despite efforts to thwart him.
The statement contributed to the notion that President Buhari and Mr. Tinubu are at odds.
