Despite a cash crunch and protests in some parts of the country, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has assured that the February 25 Presidential and National Assembly elections will be held nationwide.
Nigerians have been having difficulty accessing the new notes since the Central Bank of Nigeria redesigned the ₦200, ₦500, and ₦1,000 notes. With this development, there have been concerns that the general elections will be postponed or disrupted.
However, INEC Chairman Professor Mahmood Yakubu has allayed those fears by stating that the commission is working closely with the CBN and security agencies.
“The Central Bank has assured us that we will not suffer any encumbrances in that regard, no there are no issues with respect to that,” he stated.
“On what is happening around the country – the protests – is a security matter and security agencies have assured and reassured us that they will secure the environment for elections to hold peacefully nationwide. So we have no issues in that respect,” Yakubu said.
The INEC Chairman, who charged the trainee Corps members with being loyal to Nigeria, Nigerians, and not political parties, also warned them not to leave the BVAS in the custody of anyone else.
He warned that the corps members would be monitored to ensure accountability.
