The Pan-Yoruba socio-political organisation, Afenifere, has implored the Federal Government and other stakeholders to ensure that there is no change in this year’s elections and ensure the handing-over date on May 29, 2023 stands.
It also expressed concerns over the trauma being experienced by Nigerians in getting energy sources and new naira notes.
In a press release issued by its national publicity secretary,Comrade Jare Ajayi on Monday,the group reiterated that the sancrosant nature of February/March elections should be imperative partly due to the alarm note sounded by the spokesman of Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), Dr. Hakeem Baba-Hamed, possibility of using the court to thwart the election process as well as difficulties being inflicted on Nigerians whose fate may be used as excuse to jeopardize the ongoing civil rule.
It cautioned the judiciary not to allow itself to be used to endanger democracy through unhelpful and perhaps frivolous litigations such as the one brought by one Chief Ambrose Albert Owuru seeking to stop the forthcoming presidential election, pointing out that luckily, the case which was heard by Honourable Justice Inyang Edem Ekwo of a Federal High Court in Abuja was dismissed on Monday.
Afenifere stated that the organisation is on the same page with ACF in its warning that Nigerians would not accept to live under any arrangement that offends the constitution of the country.
It said:”Citizens have no choice other than to abide by the constitutional provisions especially on how to change governments in the country which is through the electoral process as well as peaceful handing-over to the winner”
Speaking on the trauma that Nigerians are being made to pass through before the announcement of the extension of deadline in currency notes’ swap from January 31 to February 10 by the CBN Governor, the socio-cultural organisation said that it was symptomatic of government’s penchant for making the people go through avoidable pains.
“From the beginning of January this year, Nigerians have been calling on the CBN to extend the deadline. The calls were predicated on the non-availability of new naira notes and the impossibility of being able to have the ones on hand swapped for the new ones before the expiration of the deadline on January 31. The new notes were difficult to obtain either inside the banks, on the Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) or from the POS.”
Commending the eventual extension of the deadline to February 10 by the CBN, Afenifere asserted that the pains and losses suffered by Nigerians last week would have been avoided were the extension of the deadline announced much earlier.
“There, indeed, is a need for the government, particularly the CBN Governor, to apologize to Nigerians over these avoidable pangs and losses that they suffer and are still suffering. The banks and outlets where people can obtain the new notes should be stuffed with the currencies immediately so as not to have a repeat of happened in the last two weeks”.
On the claim by the CBN Governor, Mr. Godwin Emefiele, that the new currency policy was aimed at those “holding illicit/stolen naira in their homes for speculative purposes, Afenifere maintained that the policy was harming the poor in Nigeria