By Demilade Adeniyi
Determined to cement all cracks in preparation for the presidential election on Saturday, the All Progressives Congress (APC) has summoned an emergency meeting of all its governors for Sunday.
The meeting will hold by 2pm, at the party’s National Secretariat, Abuja.
Sunrise reports that in what appears as unprecedented, the governors of the party had confronted the President and National leader of the party, over the implementation of the Naira redesign.
At least four governors of Kaduna, Kano, Ogun and Kebbi have countermanded the directive of the President, which puts an end to higher denominations of the Naira, threatening to sanction anyone who refuse to accept the N500 and N1000 denominations for transactions in their domains.
President Muhammadu Buhari, hinging the Naira change on the need to put an end to money politics, had directed the reintroduction of only N200, back in circulation alongside the new notes recently changed by the Central Bank of Nigeria.
But the governors, acting as an opposition had given contrary directives to citizens of their respective domains, a development the emergency meeting with the governors may be called to address.
A statement issued by the party’s Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, on behalf of the National Chairman read: “The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Abdullahi Adamu, invites State Governors of the Party to an emergency meeting to be held on Sunday, February 19, 2023 by 2pm at the National Secretariat, Abuja.
The meeting may not be unconnected with the ongoing naira crisis in the country where the governors have gone on confrontation with President Muhammadu Buhari over the Naira redesign policy that is impoverishing the masses and putting the party in bad light.
Ten governors of the APC had dragged the Federal Government to the Supreme Court to stop it from withdrawing the old N200, N500 and N1000 notes from circulation.
The apex court granted an exparte order extending the deadline to February 15, and at the sitting on the said date, had to adjourn to February 22, to allow all parties that may want to join in the suit to do so before hearing in the substantive suit would commence.
But Buhari, in a nationwide address on Thursday Febriary 16, trampled the Supreme Court and announced the recirculation of only the N200 notes while the N500 and N1000 remained illegal after the expiration of the February 17 deposit deadline set by the CBN.
It is believed that Sunday’s meeting is meant to make the hardline governors shift ground and probably withdraw the case against the Federal Government at the apex court.
It is not certain if the governors will obey the party’s directive and allow them prosecute the forthcoming Presidential election as one, inside of the fragmented disparate entity.