Cash Crisis: El-Rufai buying votes with free food and transportation – PDP

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has accused Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State of using freed food, and transport incentives for the residents to buy votes.

Why this matters: Kaduna state government had announced the provision of free food, free transport, and medical services as part of measures to mitigate the adverse effects of the naira redesign policy of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

What is going on: with the implementation of the policy, Nigerians have found it increasingly difficult to access cash for their daily transactions and activities.

What PDP said: In a statement on Wednesday, February 22, 2023, the PDP State Secretary, Ibrahim Wusono, tagged the gesture by El-Rufai's administration is a tactic for vote-buying ahead of the 2023 general election.

In his words: “They brought a plan by transporting people from Kaduna to Zaria metropolitan free of charge. I want to draw the attention of Kaduna citizens that it’s part of the deceit which has always been part of the APC government for the past seven years.

“People should understand or remember that it’s the APC government that sacked more than 62,000 workers including teachers in the state.

“It’s the APC government that demolished houses, and market stalls and it is under the APC administration that people are not secure in Kaduna State; look at what is happening in Birnin-Gwari, Giwa, Chikun, and Kajuru? The entire is not secured. What causes this? It’s because of the poor leadership of the APC government.

“We are appealing to the people of Kaduna to resist the tactics that is being currently introduced by the APC government by distributing food items to them just because they have failed.

“It’s a deception. They govern the state for more than sevens year, have they provided free transport to citizens of the state? They didn’t. It’s because of the election. It’s also vote-buying.”

Meanwhile: The Kaduna state governor, who spoke in an interview with BBC Hausa on Monday, February 20, 2023, stressed that the currency redesign was not enough to stop voter inducements.