Salihu Lukman: It’s worrisome APC leaders can’t convince Buhari to rethink naira swap policy

Salihu Lukman, a member of the national working committee (NWC) of the All Progressives Congress (APC), says it is worrisome that party leaders cannot convince President Muhammadu Buhari to rethink the naira swap policy.

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) had fixed February 10 as the deadline for the use of old naira notes.

On Wednesday, the supreme court temporarily restrained the federal government from enforcing the deadline.

In a statement on Thursday, Lukman said the policy needs to be reviewed in view of the hardship it has caused.

“As a member of APC, I can say with every confidence, this wouldn’t have been the objective,” he said.

“It is however worrisome how our party leaders are unable to convince Mr. President to have a rethink about the implementation of this policy. This has created all manner of frustrations both with the APC, across the country, and across all segments of society.

“The only person that possibly is not frustrated with the policy is Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, Presidential candidate of the PDP, who is supporting the policy, which is why many people argue that the ‘cabal’ around the President want Atiku Abubakar to win the election.

“It needs to be clearly stated that throughout the tenure of President Muhammadu Buhari, nothing tests his credentials as a converted democrat more than the need to demonstrate more listening ears and compassion at the plight of Nigerians.

“As a converted democrat, which I believe he is, President Muhammadu Buhari needs to demonstrate that by respecting the Supreme Court judgement and directing the CBN to end the current madness that imposes Naira scarcity in the country and untold hardship for millions of Nigerians.

“For both APC, as a party, and Nigeria, as a nation, one of the lessons that the current reality imposes is the need to develop our political parties and make them capable of regulating the conduct of elected functionaries.”