Godwin Emefiele, governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), has told a federal high court in Abuja to determine his eligibility to run for president of Nigeria in 2023.
Recall that it had emerged on Friday that three interest groups – the Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria, Friends of Emefiele and Emefiele Support Group – paid N100m for the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential expression of interest and nominations forms for Emefiele.
But the CBN governor, in a tweet on Saturday, said he was still waiting for God’s direction, adding that he would purchase the N100m forms himself if he entered the presidential race.
He said that he would continue to serve the country in his capacity as CBN governor until he received divine counsel to contest for a higher office.
Amid the controversy, it emerged that Emefiele reached out to Mike Ozekhome (SAN), a constitutional lawyer to seek interpretation of the constitution and public service rules on public servants seeking elective positions while in office.
In his lawsuit against INEC and the attorney-general, Emefiele argued he will suffer “irreparable damage” if he is not allowed to run for president.
In the lawsuit filed by Maliki Sylvanus, of the Mike Ozekhome chambers on behalf of Emefiele, the CBN governor stated as follows: “That at a conference meeting held on this case at our office, Ukwe Court, Plot 2215 Cadastral Zone, Opposite Maitama Divisional Police Station, Nile Street, Maitama, Abuja, on Tuesday, the 3rd day of May, 2022, at about 1:00 pm, I was informed by the Plaintiff/Applicant, Mr. Godwin Emefiele, of the following facts and I verily believe him to be true as follows:
“That he has read through the several court processes and is thus fully seized of the facts stated below, which are facts as contained in the several court processes filed by the various parties in the process leading to this suit.
“That the plaintiff is a Nigerian citizen, Economist, Banker and financial expert, who has been serving as the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria since 4th June, 2014.
“That the Plaintiff is a public officer who is being daily called upon to seek election to the office of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria under any political party, and participate as a candidate in the upcoming 2023 presidential elections fixed for 25th February, 2023.
“That the parties’ presidential primaries are scheduled to hold an or about the 30th of May and 1st of June, 2022.
“That it is already less than 30 days to the party’s scheduledbpresidential primaries.
“That the Plaintiff has brought this suit to urgently challenge the attempt to disqualify and exclude him from participating in the parties’ presidential primaries scheduled to hold on or about the 30th of May and 1st of June, 2022.
“That unless this suit is urgently assigned, with the time for taking steps and filing of processes in the suit abridged by this honourable court, and the suit urgently determined, irreparable damage will be done to the Plaintiff, in that he would be barred from participating in the said parties presidential primaries taking place in less than a month’s time.
“That unless this suit is timeously heard before the imminent events of the primaries, it would foist on this honourable court a situation of fait accompli and complete helplessness and there would be nothing left for the court to decide.”
