Cash crunch: Dogara says Buhari’s decision would curb vote-buying, urges Nigerians to be patient

A former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr Yakubu Dogara yesterday threw his weight behind the resolve by President Muhammadu to endorse the cash swap policy.

Dogara maintained that the measure was aimed at curbing vote-buying ahead of the general elections scheduled to hold next week.

The former Speaker argued that the President has the sole constitutional powers over currency matters adding that those opposed to the cash swap policy were doing so because they have been denied the opportunity to deploy the ill-gotten naira they have stashed to buy votes.

He, however, said he is not uninformed or unaffected by the hardship caused by the Naira redesigned and swap policy but pleaded with Nigerians to endure it for a few weeks as a sacrifice for free, fair and credible elections.

He spoke in Kaltungo, Gombe state at the gathering of over 15,000 Christian youth under the auspices of the Evangelical Churches Winning All (ECWA) International Youth Conference where he was honoured with the award of service to the youths, the church and humanity.

Said he: “The president is absolutely right not to have given in to the greed of the few against the needs of the many. While the president is right to have acted on what he knows and in the best interest of the country, his traducers are petty, unpatriotic, treacherous and grossly irresponsible.

“Therefore, Mr President deserves our thunderous applause. Whoever writes it, history will be kind to Mr. President if he doesn’t give in or give up on his resolve to ensure a free, fair and credible democratic election no matter the cost on the 25th of February 2023 as scheduled by INEC.

“I want to specifically commend President Buhari over the initiative to curb vote buying in the forthcoming general elections. I am not uninformed of nor unaffected by the hardship caused by the Naira redesign and swap policy but I want to plead with Nigerians to endure it for these few weeks as the sacrifice for a free, fair and credible election.

“It’s a life lesson: that just as injury has pains so also recovery has pains. But if we have to get healed, we have to endure the pains. I urge us all to trudge on in the hope that these pains may truly be the birth pangs we may endure for a New Nigeria to be born.

“For those criticising the president on the issue of timing, I want to remind them in the words of Dr King Jnr that time is eternally neutral and, “the time is always ripe to do right.“

“let me end by calling on CBN to ensure the redesigned notes are made available to our people but even if the CBN failed to do so, my plea to all Nigerians is to endure the pains for a few more weeks for our votes to count and for us to elect a president we truly deserve.

Dogara insists that Nigeria need a President in the mould of the presidential candidate of the people’s democratic party (PDP) Atiku Abubakar who will hit the ground running from day one adding that it behoves Nigerians to guard against foisting a rookie as President of country.

He added: “Tell me if any of the candidates comes close to Alhaji Atiku Abubakar in terms of readiness to hit the ground running from day one. In case you don’t know him, let me attempt the impossible task of introducing him to you.

“HE Atiku Abubakar, the Wazirin Adamawa is a statesmanlike no other and a father in every sense of the word, Abba. He is a demonstrable source that gives life to everything around him.”