Cash crunch: Parties struggle to mobilize polling agents, seek volunteers Visit

Ahead of the upcoming polls in Nigeria, political parties are reportedly struggling to obtain sufficient funds to pay party agents and organize logistics.

Officials from the All Progressives Congress (APC), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and New Nigerian Peoples Party (NNPP) have revealed that the new naira policy has affected their ability to secure the necessary funding.

According to him, “It is a general problem as you know. We are not aware of anybody getting bulk money from our party. The FG has instituted a cashless policy and there is nothing we can do than to go with the policy. We have mentioned it here and the presidential candidate has also said over again that it is going to be a tough situation.

“This is not just for the election but for ordinary Nigerians. It is going to be hard for anybody to get cash.”

The APC’s Director of Strategic Communications, Idris Mohammed, has confirmed that none of the political parties can claim to have enough cash for mobilizing supporters or organizing logistics. He attributed this difficulty to the cashless policy implemented by the Federal Government.

Ladipo Johnson, the Chief Spokesman for the NNPP Presidential Campaign Council, agreed with Mohammed’s assessment, acknowledging that the new naira policy has impacted not only political parties but also the wider public. However, Johnson highlighted that politicians appear to be suffering the most severe effects of the cash crunch.

He noted that “We are not excluded from anything going on in this country. I know the country is difficult at the moment and that the masses are suffering as a result of the cash squeeze policy. We understand the long-term benefit of it. But it is very painful in the short term.”

On his part, Victor Oye, National Chairman of APGA, said the cash crisis had made it difficult for his party to take care of “some basic things.”

Also the National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Debo Ologunagba said “The challenge of the cash crunch is all over the place and it is part of the legacy of the APC. No matter how good their policies appear, implementation is always a problem. This election is about our lives, and our survival and no sacrifice will be too if we are to be rescued from this situation. As a party, we sympathize with Nigerians.

“We are hurt particularly in an election period but our appeal to Nigerians is that irrespective of the difficulty that the APC has brought upon this country including the sabotaging within the party of the cash policy, they should keep the faith.”