The Nigeria Equity Group (NEG), has described the alleged plot to drag the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele, into the 2023 presidential race as a probable consensus candidate of prominent political parties, as a grand conspiracy to foist a malleable candidate on the country. It added that such an arrangement will make him subject to manipulation by serving governors who are known to be strong and influential within the polity.
NEG insisted that the alleged move by a section of governors across the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) would not be in the best interest of the nation, as it would amount to "dragging the CBN, a vital national institution, into the arena of partisan politics with dire consequences for the economy."
The group said: "Some media reports had disclosed that the Publisher of Thisday newspapers and President of Newspapers Proprietors Association of Nigeria (NPAN), Prince Nduka Obaigbena, was working in cahoots with some captains of industry led by Alhaji Aliko Dangote, the richest man in Africa, to ensure that the CBN Governor becomes the next President of Nigeria. "The group was said to have claimed that their agenda was to rescue the country and reposition it for growth and development. Emefiele was reported to have topped the group's shopping list because, by their rating, he would help protect their business interests and he is better placed among other candidates "to reconnect the missing links in the nation`s economy".
In a statement issued in Abuja, on Tuesday, February 8, 2022, the National Convener of the Nigeria Equity Group (NEG), Emeka Nwosu, PhD, said the 'subterranean' moves by promoters of the agenda was undemocratic and antithetical to the wishes and aspirations of the people. Dr. Nwosu noted that the CBN of "any nation is an independent institution that regulates the economy, and therefore requires protection from political interference." Nwosu advised Emefiele against succumbing to the plots of the concerned Governors, but to instead face his job squarely as the manager of the economy or in the alternative, resign from his position if he must run for the President of the country.
The NEG boss was of the view that the move to drag the CBN Governor into politics would be counter-productive. He therefore advised Emefiele to shun the overtures of the Governors because their actions are capable of heating up the polity.
*365daily
