Friends of Godwin Emefiele, the Central Bank of Nigeria’s Governor, has waded in to defend him amid the ‘blackmail and sponsored articles’ following some media reports on his purported interest in the 2023 presidential race.
Gatekeepers News reports that a group of the CBN Governor’s friends, under the aegis of Friends Of Godwin Emefiele, said the negative attacks are being sponsored by those who see Emefiele as a major threat to their political ambition even though he “has not confirmed to anyone he is running for President even as he is constitutionally qualified to do so.”
The CBN Governor’s friends, in a statement titled: ‘Who is Afraid of Godwin Emefiele’ mocked those that are allegedly trying to dent his image, saying ‘they are catching cold’ when Emefiele had not even sneezed.
It reads in part:
In the past few weeks, there have been media reports on the purported interest of the Governor, Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mr. Godwin Emefiele, in the 2023 presidential race, leading to a stampede by interested parties and vested interests who are resorting to all sorts of blackmail, sponsored articles and choreographed comments on social media targeted at tainting Godwin Emefiele’s image, impugning his character and legacy.
Clearly, the negative attacks are being sponsored by those who see Emefiele as a major threat to their political ambition. Truth is Godwin Emefiele has not confirmed to anyone he is running for President even as he is constitutionally qualified to do so; he has been under pressure in the past few weeks as different groups have been putting up unsolicited campaigns for his candidacy. Only yesterday, as the speculation became widespread, a group of his friends under the aegis of FRIENDS OF GODWIN EMEFIELE met with him to clarify his position.
Here is what he told us –
1. That he remains focused on his job and will continue supporting the Muhammadu Buhari-led Federal government’s economic recovery drive;
2. That in his career trajectory, right from his days as a young banker, he never asked, nor lobbied for a jobhe was invited by the Board of Directors to be the Chief Executive Officer/Group Managing Director of Zenith Bank as he was an integral part of the team, led by founder Jim Ovia, that transformed Zenith Bank from a start-up to one of Africa’s largest banks with subsidiaries in Ghana, Sierra Leone, Gambia, South Africa, Dubai, China and the United Kingdom;
3. In 2014, President Goodluck Jonathan tapped him to be the CBN Governor, a job he didn’t lobby for and in which his name was not among those being considered at that time. He was not even from the geo-political zone that most people thought the job would go to as the president then was from same geopolitical zone with him;
4. Today he remains humbled by President Muhammadu Buhari’s decision to grant him an unprecedented second term as CBN Governor- again without lobbying. Thus he will continue to remain loyal to him and the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
5. Mr. Emefiele told us that he believes it’s the prerogative of President Muhammadu Buhari to plan his succession in line with global best practices for good governance for the continuing peace and progress of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, as such he will play his part to stabilise the economy for an orderly transition.
6. And given that it’s God that anoints leaders, he will leave his faith firmly in the hands of God.
7. With these fundamental questions settled, it is imperative to address some of the lies and utter falsehood being pedalled by blackmailers and political jobbers, who see Godwin Emefiele as a threat to their ambition.
The group further highlighted some of the successes recorded by the CBN under the administration on Emefiele, stressing that “those behind the sponsored negative reports are afraid of Emefiele’s towering personality and service to Nigeria. But they must understand that he cannot be stampeded any way.
According to his friends, “he is focused on delivering the mandate of the Central Bank; he is rebuilding the economy of the country through import substitution policies and using agriculture to create a new rural middle class from ground up. Those who continue to criticise the rice pyramid are too ashamed of giving glory to whom it is due. Emefiele is focused on his unfinished job and should not be distracted.”
