By Ismail Auwal
The Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele, has filed a suit in a Federal High Court in Abuja over an alleged plan to disqualify him from the 2023 presidential primaries.
Emefiele, through his counsel, Mike Ozekhome, argued that he is not a political appointee and that he is required by the constitution to resign a month before the presidential election on February 25, 2023.
“It is our respectful submission that the plaintiff is not a political appointee as envisaged by the Electoral Act and as he seeks to contest for the Office of the President in the new electoral calendar, he shall only be governed or guided by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, (1999), as amended, which requires that he gives at least thirty (30) days’ notice of resignation, withdrawal or retirement from the office of the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria before any elections,” the document read.
He also contended that a Federal High Court in Umuahia, Abia State, had nullified section 12 (8) of the Electoral Act.
The All Progressive Congress (APC) primaries are set to take place at the end of this month.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has given political parties a deadline of June 3 to submit their candidates for the 2023 elections.
Some lawyers argued that Emefiele was unfit to run under Section 84 (12) of the Electoral Act.
According to the section, no political appointee at any level shall be a voting delegate or be voted for at any political party’s Convention or Congress for the purpose of nominating candidates for any election.
A group had last week purchased the expression of interest and nomination forms of the ruling APC for Emefiele.
This had triggered outrage as many called on the CBN governor to step down.
