The plot thickens en route to Nigeria’s 2023 presidential elections as each aspirant jostles to impress in the court of public opinion. Through the mire of plots and counter-plots, however, Godwin Emefiele avoids the pitfalls of desire and tactless aspiration.
The incumbent Governor, Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), considers it in bad taste that some speculators proceeded to brand a number of vehicles in his name – thus making it seem like they were acting on the brief of the CBN governor.
Soon after pictures of the branded vehicles generated a buzz online, Emefiele has issued a rebuttal and disassociated himself from the speculators who took it upon themselves to sponsor such action.
As the pictures generate intense debate bordering on the impropriety of the incident, people who should know have emphatically stated that he never approved of such gesture nor did he contract anyone or group to execute such project on his behalf.
Among other things, he understands that as a serving CBN governor and public servant, he must not engage in politicking of any sort. Sources close to Emefiele stated that he is too preoccupied and focused on the tasks of his office at the moment. He is too busy to get involved in politicking.
There is no gainsaying the CBN governor is delicately poised between the cliché of mass support and the indiscretion of pandering to the wish of the gallery.
The CBN governor has, in recent times, attracted the attention and support of several youth groups – all rooting for him to join the 2023 presidential race.
More groups have called on him to declare interest in the contest even as the Emefiele Support Group (ESG), announced through its Director of Communication, Benigha Ejimba, on Wednesday that it has raised N67 million of its N100 million target, to purchase the All Progressives Congress (APC) 2023 presidential nomination form for the CBN governor.
a new group under the aegis of Nigerian Professionals in the Diaspora for Emefiele 2023 issued a statement urging the CBN governor to declare his intention to vie for the nation’s highest office, assuring him of their support. Members of the group vowed that they would pull all the stops to actualise Emefiele’s presidential dream, even if it entailed jetting back to Nigeria to get their PVCs to be eligible to vote.
The statement, signed by Dr Adeyemi Johnson, a Detroit, Michigan-based OB-GYN (Obstetrician and Gynaecologist), declared, “We, as professionals, cutting across different professions in the United States and Canada, came together to unanimously lend our voices and names to the groundswell of clamour for Mr. Godwin Emefiele, the Central Bank of Nigeria Governor, to contest for the presidential seat and continue with the good works of President Muhammadu Buhari.”
Another group, the Alliance for Godwin Emefiele 2023 (AGE ’23), has called on him to join the race describing him as a catalyst for true change and better Nigeria of everyone’s dream. The political organisation of young professionals drawn from across Nigeria, made the declaration in Ibadan on Thursday while declaring their support for the head of Nigeria’s apex bank.
There are many reasons AGE roots for Emefiele, but the biggest by far was the nation’s troubled state at his assumption of office and Emefiele’s unique ability to stabilise it. For this reason, AGE urges the CBN governor to join the 2023 presidential race.
The group stated that in view of Emefiele’s track record as a technocrat with sterling records in private sector and now public service, he truly deserves to be given a chance at the political leadership of the country.
But despite their passionate vote of confidence in the CBN governor, the latter has never come out to foster their patronage in words or action.
Controversial social commentator, United States (US) based Reno Omokri, has equally exonerated Emefiele from the incident stating that it was “a red-herring from a fifth columnist” seeking to tarnish the CBN governor’s hard-earned repute.
“The man is innocent and his detractors just want to taint him,” said Omokri.
