…Says it’s wrong for Buhari to okay naira redesigning in middle of election period
Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai has raised the alarm, saying some powerful elements in the Presidential Villa are working against the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu.
Speaking during his appearance on Sunrise Programme, a breakfast show on Channels TV, el-Rufai also revealed that the powerful individuals had their preferred candidate for the APC presidential primaries, but the candidate did not win during the contest.
According to el-Rufai, those individual elements are hiding behind President Muhammadu Buhari’s desire to do what he thinks is right.
The Kaduna Governor also revealed that there are fifth columnists in the Aso Rock Villa who want Tinubu to lose the presidential election.
He also blamed Buhari for the retaining the fuel subsidy, despite the humongous amount being spent.
El-Rufai also queried the propriety of Naira redesigning in the middle of election, saying that the decision was wrong and capable of hurting the ruling APC during the forthcoming general elections.
According to him, everyone in the economic council has agreed that the fuel subsidy should go, but it’s Buhari who said no, that it will inflict more pains on the masses.
El-Rufai also said that he met with the President in 2016 when the oil price was about $26 that we should remove the subsidy.
He said, “There are something we agreed with the president to be done and it’s not done and those responsible are never punished.
“You need to separate the decisions of the people in the Vila from the manifesto of the party.
“They are trying to get us to lose the election, and they are hiding behind the President’s desire to do what he thinks is right.
I will give two examples: this petroleum subsidy, which is costing the country trillions of Naira, was something that we all agreed would be removed.
“In fact, I had a discussion with the President and showed him why it had to go. Because how can you have a capital budget of N200billion for federal roads and then spend N2trillion on petroleum subsidy?
“This was a conversation I had with the President in 2021 when the subsidy thing started rising. He was convinced. We left. It changed. Everyone in the government agreed, and it changed.
“The second example I will give is this currency redesign. You have to understand the President. People are blaming the Governor of the Central Bank for the currency redesign, but No. You have to go back and look at the first outing of Buhari as president.
“He did this; the Buhari, Idiagbon regime changed our currency and did it in secrecy with a view to catching those that are stashing away illicit funds.
“It is a very good intention. The president has his right. But doing it at this time, and within the allotted time does not make any political or economic sense.
But why now? In the middle of election. There are fifth columnists in the Villa.”
