Nigerian investigative journalist David Hundeyin has said that “Godwin Emefiele, the governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, is a symptom of the problem in Nigeria’s political space”.
It is no longer news that holding a political position in the Nigerian government serves any purpose other than self-aggrandisement, self-enrichment, and entrepreneurism.
“The people under him” (President Buhari), such as the Attorney General, Abubakar Malami, the former EFCC chair, Ibrahim Magu, and the governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele, have a litany of atrocities under their names and nothing has been done about it.” Hundeyin said during an interview on Plus TV monitored by Business Day.
What you should know about Godwin Emefiele’s presidential ambitions:
The governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria has been a card-carrying member of the All Progressives Congress (APC) since February 2021, BusinessDay gathered.
During a court hearing in Abuja on Monday, May 9, 2022, Emefiele’s lawyer, Mike Ozekhome, informed the court that the CBN governor is eligible to run for President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria without resigning. This came up after a group of farmers and Emefiele supporters raised N100,000 to purchase nomination forms for him from the All Progressive Congress (APC).
The case is to challenge Section 84 (12) of the Electoral Act, which mandates candidates for public office to quit 30 days before the primary of any political party.
Ozekhome requested that the court impose an interim order prohibiting the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) from excluding his client from participating in the primary election of his preferred political party.
However, the motion by Emefiele’s attorney to prevent him from being barred from vying for the presidential ticket of any political party ahead of the 2023 general elections was dismissed by the Federal High Court in Abuja on Monday afternoon.
In his decision on the ex parte application, the judge, Ahmed Mohammed, noted that he would prefer to order INEC and the AGF to appear in person to present their case rather than allow the CBN governor’s request.
Read also: Emefiele presidency saga: The only man who can fix Nigeria is my dad
David Hundeyin’s reaction
In response to the CBN governor’s presidential ambition, David Hundeyin said “the CBN Governor went to court and instituted a lawsuit the judge ruled, that the parts of the CBN Act forbidding CBN governors from participating in public service somehow do not apply to him because he’s not a political appointee, this is someone appointed by President Goodluck Jonathan and whose term was renewed by President Muhammadu Buhari saying he is not a political appointee”.
Likewise, Hundeyin said, “the powers that the Nigerian government has bestowed upon itself allow you to distort the economy and illegally enrich yourself in ways that most Nigerians are not even aware of, in very short periods of time and in very impressive ways.”
