AT last, the governor of the Central bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mr Godwin Emefiele, on Monday confirmed his bid for the presidency of the country in 2023.
His action through an exparte motion filed before a Federal High Court in Abuja seeking a concession to remain in office 30 days to the election, brought to a dramatic end months of speculations about his presidential ambition.
However, the presiding judge, Justice Ahmed Mohammed, turned down the request by Emefiele for a restraining order against the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) on his intention to vie for the office of the president of the country.
Emefiele had, in the exparte motion filed on his behalf by his lead counsel, Chief Mike Ozekhome (SAN), applied for an order of status-quo ante bellum against the commission and the AGF to make him remain in office as the CBN governor until 30 days to the general election scheduled for February next year.
Arguing the exparte motion, Ozekhome said his client, as the current CBN governor, is in dilemma if he could run for the office of the president of the country and when must he leave office before he can?
“The plaintiff, being a public servant and not a political appointee, cannot be caught in the web of Section 84(12) of the amended Electoral Act” Ozekhome argued and further added that the Section of the Electoral Act voided by the Umuahia Division of the Federal High Court is on appeal at the moment.
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The Senior Advocate of Nigeria urged the court to invoke Section 318 of the 1999 Constitution to bar the defendants from asking him to vacate the office of the CBN governor until 30 days to the February 2023 presidential election.
Emefiele expressed apprehension that the sale and submission of presidential nomination forms would expire on Wednesday and that unless INEC and AGF are ordered to maintain statusquo ante bellum as at May 5, 2022 when he filed the suit, he would be made to vacate office before his form would be accepted by the appropriate authority.
However, in a brief ruling, the trial judge rejected the request and ordered the CBN to put the defendants on notice and also serve all court processes in the matter on them.
Justice Mohammed also ordered the defendants to appear before him on May 12, 2022 and show cause why Emefiele’s requests for maintenance of status-quo ante bellum and abridgement of time should not be granted. Meanwhile, Nigerians continued to react to the presidential ambition of Emefiele with a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, Chekwas Okorie, cautioning the CBN governor against his aspiration which, he noted could worsen an already bad economy.
He said: “Many funny things are happening in this country. Ordinarily, being a member of a political party and having ambition to run as President, it can affect our economy, negatively. In other words, it can affect investment and the Stock Exchange.
“As CBN governor, he is expected to be apolitical but he has said that since 2001 he has been a card-carrying member of APC. Yes, he is entitled to his ambition, eminently qualified, but pursuing that ambition while holding that office isn’t right. It is also not morally right. While sitting in that office, it is wrong for him to continue to pursue a presidential ambition. My suggestion is that he should resign.”
A legal practitioner, Dr Kayode Ajulo, in his opinion said the CBN Governor had shot himself in the foot and could no longer proceed with his ambition. Ajulo noted that by the pronouncement of the court on Monday, which asked parties to maintain the status quo, Emefiele could no longer submit his form.
“Anybody holding the office of CBN, his job is enormous and even sensitive to national security.
“That’s why because of the nature of his job, Section 9 of the Central Bank Act disqualifies him from taking any job, even if it is part time. Even before he can engage in charitable engagement,he must seek the approval of the board of CBN.
“From the reports coming from court today, both parties have to maintain status quo; which means Emefiele can’t go ahead with his aspiration until the court decides his case. “When a matter is in court, status quo has to be maintained—what it means is that, as CBN Governor, he can no longer submit his nomination forms,” Ajulo said.
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