By Praise Chinecherem
A university don, Prof. Obiekwe Nwanolue has called on Chairman, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof Mahmood Yakubu to step aside and not to conduct the forthcoming Governorship and State Assembly elections.
He also called for the resignation of the Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria, (CBN), Dr Godwin Emefiele, saying the nation’s banking industry has not been moving forward under his administration.
Speaking with newsmen in Onitsha, Anambra State, Nwanolue urged CBN to direct commercial banks to make cash available for the masses especially as hardship has become the order of the day.
Nwanolue, a professor of Political Science at the Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University, Igbariam also called on President Muhammadu Buhari and Emefiele to obey Supreme Court ruling on the use of the new and old naira notes.
He said, “We call on the CBN governor, Godwin Emefiele to resign. Since his administration, banking industry in Nigeria, is not moving forward and this, in no small measure, is deeply affecting the nation’s economy, of which the innocent masses are bearing the brunt.
“We also call for the cancellation of Presidential and National Assembly elections of 25th of February, 2023 characterised by unprecedented fraud, insincerity and lack of transparency, as a result of gross incompetence, untrustworthiness and proven dishonesty of the INEC.
“I call on the INEC Chairman, Prof Mahmood Yakubu to step aside and should not conduct the forthcoming Governorship and State Assembly elections, to avoid colossal repeat of flat disappointments of Nigerians in their efforts of voting their popular candidates, come March 18th, 2023.”
While urging INEC to restore its confidence and integrity, Nwanolue expressed optimism that the March 18th elections would be distinctly different and would reflect the will and wishes of the electorates.
He further called on the Federal Government to urgently address the issue of scarcity and high cost of petrol in the country and reinstate to absolute functionality, all existing oil refineries in Nigerian.
“It is very unfortunate that the so called giant of Africa imports petrol from other countries, despite the fact that Nigeria is endowed by God with enormous natural resources but mismanagement has been the order of the day,” he said.
On the Privatisation of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) and the epileptic power supply in the country, the don criticized privatisation of NNPC and Enugu Electricity Distribution Company (EEDC), saying they were not in the interest of the Nigerian masses.
“Federal Government is hereby called upon to reverse the said privatisation in order to alliviate the hardship experienced by the masses, arising from the said privatisation.
“NNPC and EEDC are very vital to provide essential services to public, at low cost and therefore should be under the control and management of government in the interests of the poor masses,” he said.
