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Akinwande Soji-Ojo
The Accord House of Representatives candidate for Oluyole Federal Constituency, Prince Ayodeji Abass-Aleshinloye, has urged electorate to come out en masse to vote the candidates of their choice in Saturday’s presidential and national assembly elections.
In a statement made available by his media office on Thursday, Aleshinloye said Nigerians, especially electorate in Oluyole Federal Constituency should not allow Federal Government’s naira design policy to frustrate them to the point that they won’t cast their votes on Saturday, adding that the best way to show their anger is by casting their votes for the best candidates.
“There’s no doubt that the crisis occasioned by the naira redesign policy has dislocated the socio-economic life of Nigerian citizens, particularly the poor and vulnerable daily income earning citizens – farmers, traders, market women, artisans and other small scale businesses at the grassroots. The resultant adverse effects are mass hunger and anger, increasing mass impoverishment and threat to national security and democracy.
“No matter the good intentions of the naira redesign by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and endorsed by President Muhammadu Buhari, the outcome as seen in the street protests, violence, fighting and dehumanisation in the banking hall and premises show that the project was ill-timed, not well thought out and counterproductive.
“With the mass rage that greeted the naira crunch, the Federal Government of Nigeria should have a rethink and take the opportunity of the Supreme Court injunction against it to reverse itself immediately and allow the old and new naira notes to run concurrently. This will alleviate the unnecessary sufferings of the citizens who are the target beneficiaries of the naira redesign.
“Instead of being reactive now, the national assembly should have been proactive with courage to see the danger ahead or as soon as the new naira redesign project kicked off. This is a failure of oversight function of the national assembly,” he said.
While condemning vote buying and selling, which he said was against the electoral law, Aleshinloye noted that the government should have taken into consideration the unintended consequences on the citizens who now bear the agony and brunt of the naira crisis.
“I appeal to all eligible citizens to come out en masse to vote for the best candidates of their choice, especially in Oluyole Federal Constituency, whose voters and people have implicit confidence in me as their trusted grassroots leader and servant with passion for over 20 years.
“Voter apathy favours election riggers and criminal vote buyers; don’t be frustrated and stay at home. Your votes may take you out of frustration if cast wisely and a better future is guaranteed after the crisis that engulfed our nation.
“A proactive legislature will also make a prosperous future possible for us and our children; this I promise.
“Please come out en masse to exercise your civic right without intimidation, inducement and violence,” he said.