By Dr. Jimoh Olorede

I keep soliloquizing, asking myself whether the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC) party really wants to win the fast approaching presidential election? This is no rhetorical question as it actually seeks an answer from the APC stakeholders, especially the Presidency, because while their ‘public utterances’ answer the question in affirmative “Yes”, their body language seems conspiratorial suggesting a dissenting “No”.

What do I actually mean by “body language”? I mean actions as in the recent economic policy of the Federal Government that’s obviously arousing the sensibilities and negative emotions of Nigerians (voters) instead of winning and or at least retaining their support for the forthcoming election. Or how do you win an election when voters in whom, of course, your mandate resides are displeased with you for reasons of your harsh policies?

Truth be told, Nigerians are hungry and angry, and their hunger and anger have both remote and immediate causes. The remote causes, as “the sleeping dog continues to lie”, are not unrelated to long period of bad governance since inception of Nigerian democracy, especially in the present fourth republic from 1999. And the immediate causes of hardship which precipitates hunger and anger that do not allow “the sleeping dog lie” are fuel scarcity, and new naira notes redesign policy with its numerous adversities.

The policy is more of a misfortune and tragedy given the spate of an ongoing economic crises, restlessness and tribulations which unequivocally show the policy is defeating (if it hasn’t already defeated) the purpose for which it’s made in the first place.

Glaringly, the whole thing seems politically motivated. Of course, this is not the first time Nigeria would be redesigning her naira notes. Even if we had encountered this sort of ineptitude-occasioned predicament in the past, like we had in 1984, when the same President (then General Buhari) was in power (as a military dictator), does it mean that we have not learnt anything from our previous mistakes? Or are we just being wicked? Why this policy at this time?? To thwart vote buying, right? Does two wrongs make a right, because, yes, vote buying is wrong, but this approach of the Federal Government is also wrong?

The current economic situation in the country is best described as a whirlwind that blows nobody any good! The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) mobbed all naira notes of #1,000, #500 and #200 denominations (now old) from the circulation and refused to release a corresponding proportion of new notes back to the circulation. Consequently, commercial banks are starved thus people don’t have access to their monies; so, the monies in banks to the owners are like corns in bottle to chicken.

Like I said earlier, if not quickly and urgently addressed, and if the adversities should persist, the new naira notes policy would defeat its purpose. According to the presidency and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), one of the purpose of the new Naira redesign is to prevent vote buying during Saturday, February 25 general elections and the subsequent ones, so that whoever emerges would be true representative of people’s mandate with an assurance of good governance. This sounds good but with a bad policy approach.

Yes, Vote buying is wrong and condemnable. However, formulating an economic policy that brings about a large misfortune of great magnitude to the generality of Nigerians with a view to thwarting vote buying is also wrong and condemnable. So, these are two wrongs that do not make a wright. Why must you use a wrong approach for a right cause? Your priority is to have a legacy of good successor via a free and fair electoral process. Fine. But why do you want to be unpopular to have a popular successor? What if the supposed popular successor (presidential candidate) is of your party? Yes, the APC presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu has, given his antecedents and unmatched large clout, a good chance of winning Saturday presidential election. However, like I said in a previously published article titled “Tinubu: Big ambition big headache”, as reasonable and applaudable as his manifestoes are, there stand many obstacles on his way to bringing his presidential ambition to fruition, and the heaviest of them is the conspiracy of the presidency’s sabotage where some elements wield as much power as the president!

Like I said in another article published the month of October, year 2020 titled “Buhari’s stake in APC’s losses at elections”, I could not fathom whether the President’s hasty concession of defeats and acceptance of responsibility for his party’s losses at past elections was a demonstration of good leadership that transcends partisanship or a sinister sacrifice of the APC party’s fortunes for personal integrity gain. Unfortunately, the current scenario is showing a red flag, recording more pains than gains! As long as the current parlous economic situation of Nigeria with his untold hardships are left unaddressed, his integrity is already at stake. So, even if President Buhari sold his party to the PDP in exchange for his highly valued integrity, he would still not get it.

The President’s seeming indifference to the hardship occasioned by currency redesign and other unbearable economic situations in the country particularly at a time like this when general elections are close cause a discernible mind to wonder and ponder as to whether he wants his party to retain presidency. Sincerely, his disposition kept me thinking much as it asked rhetorical questions: “If this were Mr. President’s first term, and would be seeking reelection for second term in office, would he do this, introducing this sort of policy? Would he be this indifferent?

Dr. Jimoh Olorede (PhD) wrote in via [email protected] (08111841887).