‘Naira crisis’: Adamu, APC governors in an emergency meeting in Abuja

An emergency meeting of governors who are members of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) is in progress at the party’s national secretariat in Abuja.

The APC national chairman, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, had summoned the meeting to discuss issues related to the campaign, naira crisis and next Saturday’s presidential and National Assembly elections.

Our correspondent reports that security is beefed up in and around the secretariat as the closed-door meeting is in on-going.

Governors Nasir El-Rufai (Kaduna), Abdullahi Sule (Nasarawa), Bello Matawalle (Zamfara), Simon Lalong (Plateau), Mai Mala Buni (Yobe) are among the governors at the meeting.

In his welcome speech during the opening session, Adamu said, “I am happy with the response so far. And it is my understanding that more of the governors are on their way coming. You will recall the recent development that has necessitated the need for this invitation.

“We do not want to seat in judgement of anybody or bodies with regards to what is going on today in the country as it affects our great party.

“I thought the best to do is to get all those who are holding forth in the critical positions in the party to get together and have some interactions so that we can have a better interpretation and appreciation of the situation that we are in. That is the essence of this invitation.”

Some APC governors had filed a suit against the Federal Government over the naira redesign policy.

The Supreme Court ordered the CBN not to implement the deadline but Godwin Emefiele, CBN governor, said there was no need to shift the deadline.

Buhari had partially complied with the court as he ordered an extension of the deadline of N200 notes and declared that old N500 and N1000 notes were no longer legal tender.

This had triggered a nationwide outrage. Governors of the ruling party joined those who criticised Buhari over the issue.

While Governor Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano State had alleged that the naira redesign policy was aimed at truncating Nigeria’s democracy, his Kaduna counterpart, Nasir El-Rufai, asked residents to disregard Buhari’s directive.

Governors Dapo Abidoun (Ogun), Babajide Sanwo-Olu (Lagos), Abubakar Badaru (Jigawa) were among those who declared that old N500 and N1000 notes were still legal tender in their states.