Gov. Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State says there are “elements” in the Presidential Villa seeking defeat of the ruling APC in this month’s poll.
“They didn’t get their way,” El-Rufai said during a live appearance on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily on Wednesday.
“They had their candidate.
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“Their candidate didn’t win the primaries and I think they are still trying to get us to lose the elections.
“And they are hiding behind the President’s desire to do what he thinks is right.”
Asiwaju Bola Tinubu emerged as the winner of the June 8, 2022, APC presidential primary.
The former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi and Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo came a distant second and third respectively.
El-Rufai cited the seemingly belated removal of fuel subsidy, naira redesign and cash swap policy implemented by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
“We all agreed that we should remove this petroleum subsidy, which is costing the country trillions of naira.
“In fact, I had a discussion with the President and showed him why it had to go.
“How can you have a capital budget of ₦200 billion for federal roads and then spend ₦2 trillion on subsidy?
“This was a conversation I had with the President in 2021 when the subsidy started rising.
“He was convinced; we left; it changed. Everyone in the government agreed.
“The second example I would give is this currency redesign.
“You have to understand the President. People are blaming the governor of the Central Bank for the currency redesign.
“No, you have to go back and look at the President’s first outing as president,” El-Rufai said.
He noted that the military government of President Muhammadu Buhari between 1983 and 1985 also changed the Nigerian currency.
And it did so in secret with a view to catching those that stashed away illicit funds.
But the governor admitted that the timing of the policy leaves the APC vulnerable ahead of the forthcoming elections.
“It’s a very good intention – very clear intention. The President’s heart is white.
“But doing it at this time within the time allotted just doesn’t make any political or economic sense.
“And for such a programme to work, it mus involve us governors, as sub nationals”.
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