The Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai continues to confront President Muhammadu Buhari.
Buhari is plotting to instigate a military coup in Nigeria in order to avoid transferring power to a civilian administration when his tenure expires in May 2023, according to one of his allies and governor of Kaduna Nasir El-Rufai.
Mr El-Rufai’s statement on Thursday night marked a sharp escalation of the ongoing confrontation between states and the Buhari administration over the raging scarcity of new notes and petroleum products.
Mr El-Rufai, in a nationwide broadcast to Kaduna residents, said Mr Buhari has become desperate to ensure that Mr Tinubu does not emerge Nigeria’s president at the ballot box next month, saying it was the reason behind the sudden and chaotic attempt at withdrawing some important national banknotes from circulation.
“Once Asiwaju Bola Tinubu emerged as the candidate in June 2022 and subsequently did not pick one of them as his running mate, this currency redesign policy was conceived to ensure that the APC presidential candidate is deprived of what they alleged is a humongous war chest.
“They also sought to achieve any one or more of the following objectives:
“a. Create a nationwide shortage of cash so that citizens are incited to vote against APC candidates across the board resulting in massive losses for the Party in all the elections;
“b. Ensure that the cash crunch is so serious, along with the contrived and enduring fuel shortage existing since September 2022, that the 2023 Elections do not hold at all, leading to an Interim National Government to be led by a retired Army General;
“c. Sustain the climate of shortage of fuel, food and other necessities, leading to mass protests, violence and breakdown of law and order that would provide a fertile foundation for a military take-over,” Mr El-Rufai said.
