CENTRAL Bank of Nigeria (CBN) governor Godwin Emefiele has announced his intention to contest the 2023 presidential election on the platform of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
Emefiele announced that he has joined the presidential race shortly after meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari at the State House, in Abuja, on Friday.
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Reports later emerged on Friday that Emefiele has picked the N100 million APC presidential election forms.
The development is coming after weeks of speculations concerning the CBN governor’s presidential ambition.
In February, while reacting to the controversy around his interest in the election, Emefiele had said he would leave his fate firmly in the hands of God.
In March, the CBN governor’s campaign posters were prominently displayed at the Eagle Square in Abuja, venue for the national convention of the APC.
Following the development, in a report by The ICIR, the CBN reacted, saying it was not aware of Emefiele’s presidential ambition.
The CBN governor also issued a statement on Twitter, saying he’s only concentrating on the economy and would not be distracted.
Last week, the founding state chairmen of the APC called on the leadership of the ruling party to adopt Emefiele as its 2023 presidential candidate.
There are concerns that Emefiele’s interest in the election may clash with Section 9 of the CBN Act, 2007, which stated: “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.”
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