CBN debunks Emefiele’s sacking

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has debunked the report purporting the sacking of the bank’s governor, Godwin Emefiele.

Social media was on Wednesday awash with reports that the CBN Governor was sacked by Presidential Muhammadu Buhari over his presidential ambition.

However, the Head of Corporate Communications of the CBN, Osita Nwanisiobi, who spoke to newsmen, described the report as untrue.

Emefiele has been under public scrutiny over his intention to run for the office of the president in the 2023 general election.

The CBN Governor, on May 12, met with President Buhari at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.

The meeting came hours after Buhari directed the CBN Governor and other heads of agencies, departments, parastatals, and ambassadors with political ambitions to resign before May 16, 2022.

Although, Emefiele has not formally declared his intention to contest the 2023 presidential election, three interest groups, the Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria (RIFAN), Friends of Emefiele, and Emefiele Support Group, last Friday, obtained the Expression of Interest and Nomination Forms of the All Progressives Congress (APC) valued at N100 million for the CBN Governor to run for the 2023 presidency.

He, however, said that, should he decide to contest the 2023 presidential election, he would use his own hard-earned savings from over 35 years of banking leadership to buy his own presidential nomination forms.

He later filed a suit against the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), Abubakar Malami, over his presidential ambition.

He had approached the court with an ex-parte motion, seeking the court’s interpretation as to whether he could run for the 2023 presidential primary while he holds as CBN Governor.

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Emefiele also sought an order of the court, restraining the Federal Government from removing him from office over his presidential ambition, pending the hearing and determination of the substantive matter.

He also prayed the court to stop INEC from taking any action against him in the bid to contest in the presidential primary by virtue of his office.

The CBN boss made the prayers in an ex-parte motion dated and filed on May 9 by his lawyer, seeking an order of maintenance of status quo ante bellum pending the hearing and determination of the substantive suit.

However, Emefiele, on Monday, May 23, withdrew the suit he filed against INEC and the AGF.

Emefiele, through his counsel, S.T. Maliki, told Justice Ahmed Mohammed that a notice of discontinuance had been filed and served on the defendants in the matter.

The Star