Senator Smart Adeyemi, who represents Kogi West senatorial district for the All Progressives Congress (APC), accused the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar, his running mate Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State, and Central Bank of Nigeria Governor Godwin Emefiele of orchestrating the cash‑crunch crisis that followed the naira redesign policy. Speaking to journalists in Abuja on Tuesday, Adeyemi claimed that Emefiele colluded with Atiku to create hardship for Nigerians with the sole aim of turning votes away from the APC presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, in the 2023 general election.
According to the senator, the crisis was deliberately targeted at Tinubu to pave the way for Atiku and Okowa to become president and vice‑president. He argued that the plot emerged after Emefiele’s own presidential ambition failed, prompting him to support his cousin, Governor Okowa, as the PDP’s vice‑presidential candidate. “The Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria is the architect of the crisis facing the country from the naira redesign policy,” Adeyemi said. “He introduced the policy after failing to realise his presidential ambition last year. As good as the policy may be painted, why implement it during an election period?”
Adeyemi added that the strategy backfired because Tinubu opposed the policy. “Nigerians have, through the crisis, identified those who stand for the people and those who are happy with their suffering. Tinubu is with the people and will be overwhelmingly voted for on Saturday during the presidential election,” he asserted. He also noted that, in the spirit of fairness, Atiku should not be contesting this election, a view shared by APC northern governors.
Finally, Adeyemi emphasized that the contest on Saturday is essentially between Asiwaju Bola Tinubu of the APC and Peter Obi of the Labour Party, as power is expected to shift to the southern part of the country. He called for unity and oneness among Nigerians across all political parties.
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