BY ROTIMI DUROJAIYE
Although the Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Ifeanyichukwu Emefiele, has not openly declared interest to contest the 2023 presidential election, several groups have in the past few weeks, been clamouring for his declaration of interest in the race, saying the country was at a point technocrats needed to take over the reins of power and steer it out of its present predicament.
Two separate groups, The Mass Interest Project and The Youth For Transparency Initiative have called on Emefiele to contest for the 2023 Presidency.
The Mass Interest Project, in prevailing on Emefiele to throw his hat in the ring and contest the 2023 presidential election, said in a statement, titled, ”The Charge 2023”, issued penultimate weekend, that the country’s next president should be an experienced entrepreneur and or a business leader, adding that the person the cap best fits to take over the mantle of leadership in the country was no other than the CBN governor.
On his part, President, TYTI, Koko Umar, in a statement in Kaduna, said the CBN governor was one of the great Nigerians who had demonstrated competence and capacity in public service and should be trusted with the leadership of the country.
The group said, as the governor of the CBN, Emefiele has made tremendous achievements that qualify him to run for the presidency in 2023.
“One of the great Nigerians who have contributed to the development of the country is the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Dr. Godwin Emefiele,” the group said.
According to TMIP, “As expected, there is already tension across the country. From East to West, North to South, Nigerians are beginning to feel the heat as the political gladiators go on the hustling, perfecting their art to play the game to know how to play with ruthless efficiency.
“These are men and some women who are well versed in political deception, intimidation, blackmail and are also experts in the arts of violence which they readily deploy to exact vengeance or force compliance to their will and desire.
“They are also adept at making promises they cannot keep or are not capable of supporting. They have been there from the beginning, from the First Republic, Second Republic, Third Republic, Fourth Republic and continued to rule the coast, even up to the present political dispensation.
“We, the people, work to manifest the Nigeria of our hope on our way to greatness! We march, fiercely guarding the vision and liberty to build a Nigeria we believe in, not as a career politician but as citizens with an equal stake in this Republic.
“Yes, we are on the march, in search of the next leader of our country. Behold we have found a man with a proven track record of loyalty, patriotism and understanding for sustainable development. A man, whose name connotes a date with destiny.
“Godwin Ifeanyichukwu Emefiele, would you lead our people on this march for a better Nigeria? Would you lead The Charge 2023?
Similarly, the TYTI maintained that since his appointment as CBN governor in 2014, Emefiele has been relentless in building a strong financial system to strengthen the nation’s economy.
“His unrelenting efforts at the apex bank have helped to navigate the Nigerian economy through turbulent economic challenges to growth and inclusiveness in policy development and implementation.
“Under Emefiele the (CBN) is more people-focused, as its policies and programmes are tailored towards supporting small businesses and job creation.
“Under his leadership, the CBN introduced various interventions, which aimed at growing the economy, job creation and lifting people out of poverty.
“Under him, the CBN introduced 37 intervention funds targeted at stimulating the economy and addressing the issue of unemployment.
“Through the development finance initiatives, the bank granted N756.51 billion to 3,734,938 small-holder farmers of which N120.24 billion was extended for the 2021 Wet Season to 627,051 farmers under the Anchor Borrowers’ Programme (ABP)”, the group enumerated.
“Last January, a top politician privy to the activities of the promoters of the Emefiele project gave an update on the underground and discreet moves. He named another serving minister as a possible aspirant in case the Emefiele project runs into a hitch. The said minister is a scion of an old political block from one of the states in the South West. But he said the Emefiele project was top of the card”
According to the group, this has revolutionised rice production in Nigeria, saving the country from spending over N356 billion annually on rice importation which had hitherto affected local production negatively.
“The rice pyramid recently showcased in Abuja is proof that we have broken the chains of rice importation,” it said.
News about the moves by some forces to draft the CBN governor into the race first appeared in the public space about a year ago. The report was promptly denied by close aides to the CBN boss.
Apparently, the denial only buoyed the spirit of the powerful forces behind the agenda to up the ante after testing the waters. The campaign has gradually assumed a life of its own, resulting in the birth of groups in advocacy.
About a month ago, some prominent politicians reportedly met at a location in Ikeja in Lagos State to map out strategies for the 2023 presidential contest. The name of Emefiele featured prominently and consistently during the meeting. They claimed that the plot to drag him into the presidential contest was real by some influential politicians, contrary to the denials by some close aides to the CBN governor.
But the original promoters of the Emefile for president agenda were said to have other alternatives.
According to sources, the real alternative plan of the group is to prop up one of the serving ministers from the South West to run for the exalted office.
Contrary to denials in certain quarters, the Emefiele project is indeed real. For the umpteenth time, the aides to the CBN governor have tried to let it go but it has kept coming up and resonating in very high places and quarters, including the political arena.
Last January, a top politician privy to the activities of the promoters of the Emefiele project gave an update on the underground and discreet moves. He named another serving minister as a possible aspirant in case the Emefiele project runs into a hitch. The said minister is a scion of an old political block from one of the states in the South West. But he said the Emefiele project was top of the card.
Newspaper advertisements have also been sponsored by those who identified themselves as “Friends of Godwin Emefiele.”
Titled, “Who Is Afraid Of Godwin Emefiele?” one of the copies read, “He’s not even sneezing and they are catching the cold.” The advertisers gave numerous reasons why Emefiele is the man for the job.
Recently, Emefiele’s supporters, mainly youths, spotted white T-Shirts with the inscription MEFFY 2023 at an occasion held in Lagos to draft him into the race.
Convener of the group, Wale Fapohunda, had told the gathering that since Emefiele’s appointment as CBN Governor, he had spent his energy building a resilient financial system that can serve the development needs of the economy, ignoring the glaring fact that Nigeria’s economy had dipped to its worst state ever during Emefiele’s tenure as CBN governor.
However, Emefiele’s declaration did not start at the event.
Indeed, it reportedly started with the recent FCT mega rice pyramid, an initiative under the RIFAN/CBN anchor borrowers’ programme, but used to sell the candidacy of the CBN governor.
President Buhari had on Tuesday, January 18, 2022, unveiled the rice pyramid in Abuja, in the presence of some governors and other dignitaries.
CBN spokesperson, Osita Nwasinobi, has continued to dismiss the report and urged politicians not to distract his principal.
My fate in God’s hands – Emefiele
Emefiele himself has reacted to calls for him to contest for presidency in the 2023 presidential election.
According to him, it is the prerogative of President Muhammadu Buhari to map out his succession plan.
The CBN governor was quoted as speaking when a ‘group of his friends’, tagged ‘Friends of Godwin Emefiele’, visited him to discuss the controversy over his rumoured presidential ambition in 2023.
In a statement issued by the group and obtained by The Point, Emefiele maintained that he would leave his fate firmly in the hands of God.
“Only yesterday (February 14, 2022), as the speculation became widespread, a group of his friends under the aegis of FRIENDS OF GODWIN EMEFIELE met with him to clarify his position,” a statement signed by the group, reads.
“Here is what he told us: That he remains focused on his job and will continue supporting the Muhammadu Buhari-led federal government’s economic recovery drive; that in his career trajectory, right from his days as a young banker, he never asked, nor lobbied for a job, he was invited by the Board of Directors to be the Chief Executive Officer/Group Managing Director of Zenith Bank as he was an integral part of the team, led by founder Jim Ovia, that transformed Zenith Bank from a start-up to one of Africa’s largest banks with subsidiaries in Ghana, Sierra Leone, Gambia, South Africa, Dubai, China and the United Kingdom.”
A report had gone viral on Wednesday last week that Emefiele bought three airplanes for his presidential campaign and had been asked to resign from his position as governor.
This was quickly denied by the CBN helmsman.
The CBN governor, who opened a Twitter account on Wednesday, denied the claim. He described the report as ‘Fake News’.
Turbulence ahead
However, the Human and Environmental Development Agenda (HEDA Resource Centre) has asked Emefiele to either resign or disassociate himself from speculation about him contesting the 2023 presidency.
HEDA in a letter gave Emefiele a 14-day ultimatum to resign from and pursue his Political ambition (if he is interested) or disassociate himself publicly from such speculations and stick to his job.
The letter signed by the chairman of HEDA, Olanrewaju Suraju, was copied to President Muhammadu Buhari and the president of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan.
HEDA acknowledged that Emefiele has a constitutional right to contest any election in Nigeria, but asked him to take a stand now rather than “keeping Nigeria at sea”.
Suraju said, “It has been widely published in the media that the Central Bank of Nigeria Governor, Mr. Godwin Emefiele is planning to contest in the 2023 general election to be President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and a group by the name: The Green Alliance recently addressed the press on the subject matter of Emefiele for President.
“By virtue of being the Governor of the apex bank in Nigeria, Mr. Godwin Emefiele is not eligible to contest for any election in Nigeria or participate in politics. By the provisions of the Central Bank of Nigeria Act, he is statutorily barred from participating in politics or engaging in any other business for that matter.
“Section 9 of the Central Bank of Nigeria Act provide thus: ‘The Governor and the Deputy Governors shall devote the whole of their time to the service of the Bank and while holding office shall not engage in any full or part-time employment or vocation whether remunerated or not except such personal or charitable causes as may be determined by the Board and which do not conflict with or detract from their full-time duties’.”
“I don’t know if you can ‘drag’ anyone into anything without holding them to ransom. So the attempt to drag the CBN governor into the 2023 presidential race is already an attempt to hold the presidency to ransom by the organisers of this ‘kidnapping’ attempt because that is what it is”
Suraju maintained that HEDA being the leading anti-corruption civil society organization in Nigeria and a non-partisan human rights and development league with the mandate to protect and promote universally recognised human rights, public accountability, transparency and environmental justice in Nigeria and Africa, in accordance with international best standards, would continue to work assiduously to keep to its mandate.
He advised the CBN Governor to either come out publicly or dissociate himself from the campaign, saying Emefiele cannot pursue political ambition while in office.
The group stated that if he insisted on contesting, he should adhere to the CBN Act and resign honourably within the next 14 days from the date of receipt of the letter, saying, “We trust that you shall fully comply with the law and do what is best for the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”
Also, Arewa Peace Initiative, a group of northerners in the diaspora, has urged Emefiele not to run in his own interest. It claimed that his tenure as CBN governor has not been impressive.
According to the president of API, Umar Muhammad, Emefiele should complete his job as the CBN governor.
A chieftain of the Arewa Consultative Forum, Anthony Sani, said there have been too many reports about who to contest and not to contest bordering on mere conspiracy theories being bandied about.
“First there was the one that said former President Jonathan was being drafted to contest in 2023 despite the provision in the amended constitution that no president can take the oath of office more than twice. The former president has taken the oath of office twice already. Now, we are reading that the CBN governor is being drafted to contest in 2023.
“But, we have not known Mr Godwin Emefiele in the cockpit of politics. As a result, we would rather take the reports as mere flying of kites by vested interests.”
An author and pro-democracy activist, Shehu Bankle-Hameed also said, “I don’t know if you can “drag” anyone into anything without holding them to ransom.
So the attempt to drag the CBN governor into the 2023 presidential race is already an attempt to hold the presidency to ransom by the organisers of this “kidnapping” attempt because that is what it is. So, the bandits who have been described before as Fulani herdsmen, now officially denoted as terrorists, have found brotherhood in high political orders of 2023. If the unsuspecting Nigerian citizens get trapped by these sets of business and political bandits- because their composition includes many of those who though massively connected and vulgarly rich, they are mostly padded on by corruption in high places. The consequences of such an unashamedly organised attempt are ineffective government, massive graft ordination in the system, open nudity and loss of integrity in voting and results of choices made. The question may also be asked if the person involved is qualified or not. The answer is abundantly clear, a sitting expert whose oversight saw more than two consecutive recessions and a dreaded regime of hyperinflation, including poor finance, fiscal and economic growth and policies, cannot be trusted with any position of power, influence or authority.”
Another analyst who preferred to be anonymous said with Emefiele’s background as an Igbo man, though from Delta State, he perfectly suits the quest for power shift to a major ethnic nationality in the country.
His narrative is that the South East would likely be receptive and disposed to his candidature. However, a number of leading politicians of Igbo extraction already in the race include a former Secretary to the Government of the Federation Anyim Pius Anyim; Governor Dave Umahi of Ebonyi State; boardroom guru, Sam Ohunabunwa; former governor of Imo State and serving senator, Rochas Okorocha, and a former governor of Abia State, Orji Uzor Kalu.
“But the ongoing plot to pressure the CBN governor to run for the presidency is bound to elicit mixed feelings from the Igbo in the South East. Having been vehement and resolute in their demand that an Igbo from the zone be the next president, many of them are likely to perceive the CBN governor as truly representing the South East,” he opined.
