House of Representatives Leader Alhassan Ado Doguwa. Outspoken House of Representatives Leader, Representative Alhassan Ado Doguwa, may have graphically captured the overwhelming role of raw cash in Nigerian politics, in his reaction to the cash crunch induced by the combined effects of the implementation of both the redesign of the three highest denominations of the Nigerian currency and the cashless policy.
The Naira scarcity, according to him, will affect the electioneering expenses of politicians, noting that he needs N70 million in “hard copy” for the poll.
Speaking after a meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday at the Aso Rock Villa in Abuja, Nigeria’s Federal Capital Territory (FCT), in the wake of the Nigerian leader’s directive to the CBN on the naira swap, the House Leader said: “I need to have this N70 million in hard copy. That is the position of the law and, as I speak to you, I don’t have it.”
Doguwa, a stalwart of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), representing Doguwa/Tudun Wada Federal Constituency of Kano State, North-West Nigeria, had spoken in reference to Section 88 (4) of the Electoral Act which caps election expenses for House of Representatives seats at N70,000,000.
He submitted that this will affect all politicians running for office, irrespective of their party affiliations.
The ranking Representative pointed out that many places lacked banks, or Automatic Teller Machines (ATMs) to ensure that party agents and others are paid during the election.
“And don’t forget the point I made as a partisan member that the policy in itself is against the ruling party because Nigerians that are not happy will look at it as a policy of the government of the APC. This has placed us at disadvantage already,” he noted.
He averred that the move is good, albeit ill-timed.
“Some of us see a lot of good things about the policy; but our worry as members of the ruling party is, why now?
“30-40 days to elections, you come out with a policy that is not widely accepted by Nigerians and, whether we like it or not, that will be seen as the programme of the government,” he said.
He added: “So, those of us in the APC are not happy about it.”
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