The presidency has accused Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai, his Kano counterpart Abdullahi Ganduje and others of inciting the public against President Muhammadu Buhari.
This is a response to claims alluding to the establishment of an interim government as a result of the crisis that has greeted the Naira swap policy.
The two governors and other chieftains of the All Progressives Congress (APC) had countered President Buhari for insisting on the new Naira redesign policy which stops the old N500 and N1000 as a legal tender.
Presidential spokesman, Garba Shehu, via a series of tweets, on Friday, clarified that there was absolutely no truth to the reports that “President Muhammadu Buhari is working towards an interim government or even worse, the truncation of democracy — democracy that he has helped to keep alive not only here at home, in West Africa but throughout the continent.
He said the governors who were pushing that narrative were inciting the people against the federal government, and the administration of President Buhari.
“The talk of interim government and truncation of democracy is way off the mark.Those who peddle it stand to gain nothing — nothing at all — but the creation of panic & the incitement of the public against the federal government.” he tweeted.
He further revealed that the false claims was conjured by political stakeholders who are scared of losing the elections, while calling for calm amongst Nigerians in order to ensure a fair electoral process.
“It is another dangerous dimension by people who are afraid that they may lose their elections.
“Everybody is aware that there is a lot of pressure on everyone — all of us — the party, its elected officials, its candidates and law enforcement agencies following the way the currency swap has gone but the way to go is not to panic.”
The Presidency further clarified the allegations of a rift between the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Bola Tinubu, and President Muhammadu Buhari over the Naira swap policy.
“Finally, to state that: the President clearly has a favoured successor in Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, is not in doubt.
“The fact that Tinubu has been opposed to the speed and timing of the Naira swap timetable does not mean he is against the idea of Nigeria becoming a cashless society. Of course, Tinubu does support a cashless society: for he is a man of the future.
“What should be made crystal clear to the doubters and the speculators and the untruth-tellers is that in no way was the naira swap “engineered” to keep the President in office beyond May 29. Nothing could be further from the truth.
“The President looks forward to handing over the reins of power to his elected successor. This will happen on May 29, 2023 as the Constitution requires it,” Shehu further explained.
