The All Progressives Congress Presidential candidate, Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has dismissed media reports, attributed to the People’s Democratic Party, alleging that he has stockpiled new Naira Notes ahead of the forthcoming general elections.
Mahmud Jega, Special Adviser, Media & Public Affairs to the APC presidential candidate described the allegation as “simply ludicrous, spurious and a desperate attempt to divert public attention from the anti-people posturing of the PDP candidate, after he and Labour Party candidate, Peter Obi asked the Central Bank of Nigeria [CBN] not to extend the deadline for the use of old naira notes.”
Jega maintained that the PDP and its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, who has justified the Naira swap and continued to oppose the call on the Central Bank of Nigeria to extend the deadline, took on Tinubu to save face from its unpopular stance which has since courted the anger of impoverished and helpless Nigerians whom he noted are prospective voters.
“They took the position despite the pains our compatriots are experiencing. They actively promoted the sanctity of the deadline in the calculated hope of reaping a political windfall from the people’s suffering.
“We are not surprised that the PDP made a volte-face to conjure a completely unfounded allegation against Tinubu. Having realized that Atiku’s selfish, uncaring position has generated popular anger and resentment against him, it came up with this absurd claim that our candidate is mopping up new currency notes.
“We want to assure Nigerians that the claim is utterly false.
“Our candidate, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, being always the voice of the voiceless and champion of the underprivileged, at numerous rallies and campaign stops, identified with our people and boldly called on CBN to extend the deadline and end the public suffering. “
Tinubu also dismissed as spurious, devilish and unconscionable is the claim by two UK-based Nigerians, one Bulama Bukarta and one Jafar Jafar, that the currency change was made because he had stockpiled billions of naira in every state with the intention of vote buying.
“There is no iota of truth in this claim which was concocted for mischievous and devilish purposes by these PDP agents.
“The duo claimed they “heard” the “information” from “knowledgeable sources.” These “sources” clearly exist only in the partisan imagination of Bulama Bukarti and Jafar Jafar.
“They made this serious allegation recklessly without a shred of evidence, believing that by living in the UK, they are beyond the reach of Nigerian laws of defamation.
“We urge all Nigerians to disregard the allegations being peddled by the PDP and its surrogates, Bukarti and Jafar and continue to exercise patience and to exhibit love, support and determination until the Asiwaju Bola Tinubu/Kashim Shettima ticket is delivered at the polls with a landslide.”