Ajiri Imah
The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Mahmood Yakubu, has said that the new naira notes scarcity may disrupt the forth coming general elections.
The INEC Chairman made this known during a meeting with the Central Bank Governor, Godwin Emefiele at the CBN headquarters, Abuja, on Tuesday.
While soliciting the support of CBN to address the issues relating to the cash withdrawal policy which has caused problems across the country, Yakubu explained that many service providers to INEC had no bank accounts.
He said, “The Nigerian election is a huge and complex one. It requires the engagement of critical services and in line with the provisions of the exchange laws and regulations, service providers are generally paid by means of electronic transfer to their accounts.
‘’However, there are crucial areas such as transportation and human support services that have to be immediately enumerated, either partially or in full because services are rendered.
In addition, emergency situations may arise requiring immediate cash payments. Some of the critical service providers are unbanked. Over the years we have worked with the Central Bank of Nigeria and commercial banks to pay for such services seamlessly during general elections, as well as off-cycle and by-elections.
However, the CBN governor, Godwin Emefiele has assured that there would be available cash for payment of the service providers, adding that the apex bank would not allow itself to be used to frustrate the efforts of the electoral body.
He further promised that they would do everything possible to support the 2023 election, stressing that it has never failed Nigerians.