THE Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has demanded immediate resignation and investigation of the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Godwin Emefiele.
The main opposition party, which has already raked in about N240 million from presidential aspirants’ forms, made the call as Emefiele’s campaign posters flood Abuja city centre and adjoining satellite towns in the Federal Capital Territory.
However, a group promoting Emefiele’s presidential aspiration has described the CBN Governor as the “best choice” to succeed President Muhammadu Buhari.
The posters, which started appearing in different locations in the capital city a few weeks ago, have taken over every available space and public utilities barely 24 hours to the national convention of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
Miffed by the development, the PDP said the posters have confirmed Emefiele’s partisan affiliation and entanglement with the APC.
In a statement issued yesterday by the spokesman for the PDP, Debo Ologunagba, the party said Emefiele’s action was the height of impunity being promoted by the APC administration.
The PDP further stated that by such action, the administration has poked its fingers in the eyes of Nigerians and dared them to do their worst.
“This action by Mr. Emefiele is contrary to the provision of Section 9 of the Central Bank of Nigeria (Establishment) Act which provides that 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…
“By engaging in partisan politics to the extent of appearing in APC campaign posters, Mr. Emefiele has knowingly and deliberately violated the provision of the CBN Act stated above.
“Mr. Emefiele has also desecrated the sanctity of his office as CBN Governor, compromised the integrity of the apex bank, stripped it of the confidence reposed in it by Nigerians and the international community and as such, cannot legitimately continue to hold and function in that office.
“This further confirms that under Mr. Emefiele, the CBN, as the custodian of our national economy, has become an appendage and cash cow of the APC in their reckless pillaging of our national resources, the resultant effect of which is now evident in the near collapse state of our economy.
“The CBN Governor must therefore resign immediately and subject himself to investigation by anti-corruption agencies on various allegations of financial misfeasance including reportedly opening our national vaults to the cabal in the APC administration and operating a special fraudulent, corrupt and discriminatory foreign exchange regimes for APC leaders to fleece our nation.
“Our party cautions that the consequences of this are better imagined. Now that Mr. Emefiele has openly identified with the APC, he should immediately resign and face an ill-fated career in the fizzling APC.”
But the Emefiele Support Group (ESG) said Nigerians must not miss the opportunity of having the CBN Governor elected as president.
In a statement by its Director of Communications, Benigna Ejimba, the ESG said the only way to preserve President Muhammadu Buhari’s legacy was to vote Emefiele as president in 2023.
Ejimba argued that any shift from the trajectory President Buhari has put Nigeria would return the country to the dark days.
She said: “Emefiele is a loyalist of the President, who has clearly understood the President’s vision and he has shown that understanding by his sterling performance in the Central Bank of Nigeria, which has beyond the imagination of Nigerians, helped bring out our economy from recession more than once.
“He is a professional and understands his job and also a unifier as his candidacy will quell the quest for Igbo Presidency and satisfy the demand for one term by the people of South South. Above all, he is not a controversial person who will dissipate energy engaging colleagues and other Nigerians in verbal exchanges thereby losing valuable work time.
“As delegates of the APC converge in Abuja to elect the national leaders of the party, it is expected that delegates will be watching out for the popularity of the different aspirants while also watching the body language of the President on the direction to go during the party presidential primaries.
“Emefiele is a clear favourite of the organised private sector, youth, women, farmers, start ups and textile workers”.
Emefiele has not confirmed or denied his involvement in the project since the campaign started a few months ago.
Party rakes in N240m from presidential aspirants
The PDP has so far raked in N240 million from the sales of nomination forms to six presidential aspirants.
The form is pegged at N40 million apiece; N5 million for expression of interest and N35 million for nomination form.
Publisher of Ovation Magazine, Chief Dele Momodu, who purchased the form yesterday, was the sixth aspirant to pick the form.
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar; former Senate President Bukola Saraki; former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) Pius Anyim; Governor Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto State and his Bauchi State counterpart, Bala Mohammed, had earlier picked the forms.
The aspirants have continued to intensify consultations amid calls by stakeholders in the South for the zoning of the party’s presidential ticket to the region.
But vested interests in the North are insisting on leaving contest for the ticket open to all interested and qualified persons, regardless of where they come from.
In an apparent move to douse tension generated by the controversy, the PDP leadership had set up a 37-member committee to resolve the issue of zoning.
The committee, which was inaugurated on Thursday, is chaired by the Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom. The committee is expected to submit its recommendations by April 7.
And as the zoning committee sets to commence its assignment, the aspirants have intensified consultations canvassing support from various groups and stakeholders.
In one of such consultative engagements, the Sokoto State Governor, Tambuwal, met with former deputy governors in Abuja on Thursday night.
Addressing the gathering, Tambuwal said the country needs an experienced pan Nigerian democrat like himself who has the capacity to provide local solutions to local problems.
Tambuwal lamented that the country under President Muhammadu Buhari remained divided along ethic and religious lines the way it had never been before.
Describing himself as a unifier, the governor told his audience that he joined the race out of conviction and not out of any other considerations.
Claiming a pan Nigeria outlook, the former Reps Speaker said: “I am coming into this race on my personal merit, on my credit and my person credentials.
“As the Speaker of the House of Reps, I presided over one of the most stable and very interesting House.
“From the beginning of this democracy till today, I can beat my chest that the House I presided over was the House of representatives of the people of the Federal Republic of Nigeria where issues were debated, devoid of sentiments but based on pan Nigerian perceptions.
“Back in Sokoto, my records are there to speak for me in terms transformation of the state, infrastructure, education, health indices, bringing back out-of-school children, physical responsibility, accountability, ease of doing business and such other indices.
“I believe that I have the right temperament. Temperament is key in running the affairs of Nigeria. The situation of this country calls for competent leadership, calls for experienced hands and energy”.
Also, Momodu, who addressed journalists at the Abuja PDP national secretariat shortly after picking his nomination documents, urged the PDP to reject what he termed “highest bidder” for the presidential ticket.
Momodu, who said that some kind hearted Nigerians raised the N40 million fee for his nomination documents, urged the electorate not to sell their votes to money bag politicians in the 2023 election.
He said: “I am proud to stand resolutely to challenge those who feel Nigeria and Nigerians can be bought or bribed by the highest bidder.
“The time for the rejection of such a notion is now. Nigerians will no longer sell their souls for 20 pieces of silver.
“I make bold to say that they are prepared to make this statement and are relying on the political parties for the opportunity to demonstrate that this is the case, by giving to them worthy candidates rather than a recycling of the failed so-called political juggernauts.
“I wish to appeal to all men and women of good conscience to join me in this movement to put a stop to the rascality of those who feel Nigerians are permanently helpless and hopeless and that we can be lorded over simply because we have chosen to be silent.
“We will no longer acquiesce in this state of affairs. I modestly say that through our collective efforts, the silent and voiceless majority now have a voice and representative in me.”
However, as the aspirants intensify consultations with stakeholders, some of their known loyalists and followers have been observed pledging allegiance to two or more aspirants at different consultative engagements.
Investigation by The Nation revealed that some of the swinging loyalists are former political office holders who go in groups or in their individual capacity.
A number of them had been sighted criss-crossing different venues at different locations, pledging support for as many as two or three different aspirants.
Our correspondent further observed that some of the “floating” loyalists tend to devise ingenious ways of avoiding television cameras at such gatherings.
A party source, who is conversant with the modus operandi of the swinging supporters, told our correspondent yesterday that the practice is as old as politics itself.
According to him, this category of supporters have, over the years, learnt not to put all their eggs in one basket to avoid being stuck with failed aspirants.
The source, who did not want his name in print, said: “For some of these supporters, their participation in politics starts and ends with what they can get from these aspirants.
“In most cases, they become irrelevant after the aspirants get elected to office or when the aspirants fail to clinch tickets.
“So it’s a survival game in which the players maximise their chances of getting their rewards because of the uncertainty associated with politics at all levels.”