•3 Northern ruling party govs subtly rebel against presidential candidate over attacks on Presidency, opposition to govt policies
The apparent cold war between the Presidency and candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Ahmed Tinubu, which has seen the latter openly attacking the former, has crept into the rank and file of the ruling party’s governors’ forum, barely two weeks to the presidential elections.
The cold war, which began before APC presidential primary, escalated a fortnight ago, when the party’s presidential candidate and former Lagos State governor, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, attacked the naira redesigning and cashless policy of the Federal Government.
Tinubu had alleged that the current fuel scarcity experienced nationwide and the redesigned naira notes, were not only plans to jeopardise his presidential bid nut also an attempt to scuttle the forthcoming 2023 elections.
He alleged that there were conspiracy and mischief among certain elements within the corridors of power, bent on using the newly redesigned naira currency and fuel scarcity to frustrate the citizenry and perhaps provoke a crisis that would cause cancelation of the elections.
According to him, “they hoarded money, they hoarded Naira; we will go and vote and we will win. Even if they change the ink on the Naira notes. Whatever their plans, it will come to naught. We are going to win. Those in the PDP will lose.”
A few days after the outburst by Tinubu in Abeokuta, Ogun State capital, three APC governors loyal to him had approached the Supreme Court and urged it to halt the full implementation of the currency regime. The move was led by the governors of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, Kogi State, Yahaya Bello and Zamfara State, Mohammed Bello Matawalle.
The three state governments on February 3 sued the Federal Government at the Supreme Court, asking for an order suspending the policy.
The plaintiffs through their lawyer Abdulrakeem Mustapha, are seeking an order “restraining the federal government through the CBN…the commercial banks…from suspending on the 10th of February 2023 the timeframe within which the now older versions of the 200, 500 and 1000 denominations of the Naira may no longer be legal tender pending the hearing and determination of the substantive suit.”
The Supreme Court on Wednesday, temporarily halted the move by the Federal Government through the CBN, to ban the use of the old naira notes from yesterday.
A seven-member panel led by Justice John Okoro halted the Federal Government’s plan in a ruling on an ex-parte application brought by the governors.
Saturday Sun gathered that the move by Tinubu and the three governors has angered some of their colleagues, especially over the open accusation of the Presidency and castigation of government policies.
Arising from this, sources revealed that some APC governors have reconsidered their support for Tinubu.
It was gathered that two of the governors, from North West and another from a North Central State, are really angry with Tinubu and have withdrawn their support. The governors, it was gathered, are on the verge of switching their support to the presidential candidate of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar. Though the governors had appeared in public with Tinubu and during campaigns, their body language of late shows they are estranged. Some PDP leaders had earlier boasted that some APC governors were working for Atiku. Also, Rivers State governor, Nyesom Wike, had also said Atiku was holding meetings with some APC governors. Multiple sources told Saturday Sun that Buhari’s men, led by the Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of Federation, Abubakar Malami, are exploring options on behalf of the President on how to react to the situation.
SUN NEWS
