There is no assurance that Nigeria is ready for the general elections slated to start on Saturday, February 25, according to human rights lawyer, Femi Falana.
On Tuesday, Falana spoke while participating in an Arise TV program.
The federal government’s decision to redesign the N200, N500, and N1000 has exacerbated Nigerians’ struggle with a lack of naira notes.
Protests have broken out in several areas of the country due to the difficulty brought on by the cash shortage and the paucity of gasoline.
Concerns have been expressed about how the circumstance may impact how the presidential and governorship elections, which will be held on February 25 and March 11, would be conducted.
There is no indication, according to Falana, that the populace is prepared for the polls.
Despite the armed forces’ assurances, the human rights lawyer claimed that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) should be the body informing Nigerians of the circumstances.
Before the nation can be considered fully prepared for the elections, he claimed, the problem of naira notes and the scarcity of gasoline must be resolved.
“By now, Nigerians should be fully prepared for the election. But unfortunately, there is no indication, and people are still saying will the election hold or not,” Falana said.
“The chief of defence staff has no business with respect to our election. We are under a democratic system of government, and it should be the IGP that should be speaking about security. Because, it is the police, under the law, that will man the polling units. The armed forces are only asked to stand by.
“Let us all appreciate that we are operating a civilian dispensation and the military must go back to their barracks. The person that should be doing the talking is the INEC chair, who has said the commission needs cash to take care of some logistics.
“But has the money been released? No. Even the armed forces and the NSA spoke about the effect of cash scarcity on counter-insurgency campaigns. Those areas have to be addressed. And for the masses, it is only when you have access to your money that you can be happy and ready for the election. We must be ready and all these will have to be taken seriously.”
