The presidential candidate of the Congress of All Progressives, tinubou ballhas denied asking governors to ignore President Muhammadu Buhari’s order that the old N500 and N1000 cease to be legal tender in line with CBN’s policy of phasing them out.
Buhari said in a broadcast on Thursday that only the old N200 note should be reissued and used alongside other old notes until April 10, when it will no longer be legal tender.
In what appears to be a counter-order, in a state broadcast, Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai said the old banknotes will be used in his state in accordance with the Supreme Court ruling pending determination of the lawsuit. substantive before him.
Kano State Governor Umar Ganduje has also criticized the federal government over the policy, saying it is an attempt to make the APC lose in the upcoming general election.
The Supreme Court will rule on February 22 on the matter brought before it by some state governments against the federal government and the CBN on the legality or not of the continued use of the old N200, N500 and N1000 notes as legal tender.
An online platform, the Peoples Gazette, claimed in a post that Tinubu asked APC governors to ignore Buhari on the order.
Peoples Gazette publication is fake news: APC campaign advice
A statement from the APC presidential campaign council issued on Friday called the post fake news.
The statement signed by Bayo Onanuga, spokesman for the campaign council, says that Tinubu never issued such an order.
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Dele Alake, APC-PCC’s media and communications adviser, never issued such notice on Tinubu’s behalf, the statement said.
The statement says that the message cited by the online platform that was randomly shared on WhatsApp was not written by Alake.
“Since the currency swap crisis began, Asiwaju Tinubu has been known to call for calm as the authorities try to find a solution to the currency crisis. He has offered a six-point suggestion to lessen the anguish our people face in trying to get money from banks,” a part of the statement read.
“He has also had several meetings with President Buhari, his leader on the matter.
“Therefore, it is inconceivable and unthinkable that he would instruct APC governors to ignore President Muhammadu Buhari’s order on the currency issue,” the statement said.
The statement noted that the governors who have so far responded to the president’s action clearly said they were acting on the ruling of the Supreme Court, the highest court in the land.
“Asiwaju has had no influence on this decision.
“Journalists, unless they are acting on the dictates of political opponents or pursuing some agenda, should endeavor to confirm authorship of their materials from the campaign’s Media and Publicity Directorate. They can also seek confirmation from the Tinubu Media Office or from Mr. Alake,” the statement said.
The campaign council asked the online platform to retract the story with immediate effect.