The Ondo State Governor, Mr. Rotimi Akeredolu, harshly criticized the Muhammadu Buhari‑led Federal Government on Thursday over the controversial new naira policy, accusing it of being designed to frustrate the upcoming Saturday presidential and National Assembly elections. Speaking during a state broadcast aired on electronic media outlets in Ondo State, Akeredolu alleged that the naira crisis and fuel scarcity were deliberately targeted at undermining the presidential bid of the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu. He described the cash‑swap policy and the alleged artificial fuel shortage as “lethal injections” intended to de‑market the APC government, create an uncontrollable national crisis, and ultimately derail the 2023 general elections. According to Akeredolu, the policy also seeks to abuse the principle of rotational presidency by denying a region its legitimate right, thereby fuelling ethnic disaffection and precipitating a grave constitutional crisis.
Akeredolu further argued that the central purpose of the naira swap policy is to diminish Tinubu’s popularity and broad acceptability across all tribes and religions, aiming to truncate the election and deny the country the service of a “true patriot, an endowed visionary with a proven record of character, knowledge, leadership, and performance.” Despite his criticism, he called on the people of Ondo to vote for Tinubu, assuring them that, if elected, Tinubu would address many challenges facing the country and the state in particular.
In a separate statement on Thursday, Senate President Ahmad Lawan expressed empathy for Nigerians suffering from naira scarcity but urged them to vote for the APC and its presidential flag‑bearer, Tinubu, on Saturday. Lawan noted that the APC had vigorously campaigned across the federation and Abuja, highlighting gains made since 2015 despite enormous challenges.
Reacting to Akeredolu’s broadcast, the Ondo State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) claimed it was an admission of the ruling APC’s failure. PDP Publicity Secretary Kennedy Peretei issued a statement titled “Akeredolu’s state broadcast is a confirmation that his party, the APC, has failed Nigerians.” The opposition argued that the broadcast, filled with lamentations, failed to dissociate APC candidates from the current gloom into which the party has plunged Nigeria. They warned that a vote for any APC candidate would merely continue the present situation and urged voters not to elect the APC, declaring, “The affliction called APC shall not rise again in our land. The final burial rites will be performed in the next two days.”
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