2023 Presidency: Pressure on Emefiele to Run Won’t Distract CBN Governor, Says Group

Omon-Julius Onabu in Asaba

As the Emefiele-for-President campaign continues to gather momentum across the country, the organisers of the campaign have allayed fears in certain quarters that the Governor, Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mr. Godwin Ifeanyichukwu Emefiele, could be distracted from his job.

The convener of The Green Alliance, organisers of the campaign, Mr. Wale Fapohonde, gave the assurance on Wednesday in Asaba, when the group stormed the Delta State capital as part of its efforts to persuade more Nigerians to key  into the cause or movement.

Thousands of placard-bearing men and women, mostly youths, joined the procession through some major streets of Asaba “to prompt, beg and persuade,” the CBN governor to run in 2023.

Fapohonde stressed that Emefiele was too professionally equipped, experienced and versatile to be distracted from his primary assignment in the nation’s economic and monetary sector. He said their call was genuine, describing it as an important national, albeit political, cause.

He argued that the record of excellent performance by the CBN governor in all the vital aspects of the economy was there for all to see, noting that the fact that numerous countries were still grappling with the far-reaching negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic while Nigeria was safely out of recession speaks volumes about the smartness of Emefiele as an astute economic and financial manager.

Flanked by Angela Ajufo and Akin Osomo, who are the Woman Leader and Legal counsel of The Green Alliance, respectively, the Convener of the campaign gave further reasons why the group was rooting for the CBN Governor.

Fapohonde said, “We believe he (Emefiele) is the one who can continue the legacy of this administration and we can’t afford to leave the nation to grope because of indefinite leadership.

“He has not declared his intention to run, but you and I can see how people are clamouring for him to run.

“At the inception of this administration, the government talked about diversification of the economy; and, you can see what is going on in the agricultural sector, which is attributed to the CBN governor.

“Even in the area of monetary policy, his achievement has been outstanding. Look at the COVID-19 pandemic: a lot of countries are still battling with the aftermath of the disease. Today, we are out of recession.

“So, he has certainly been alive to his monetary policy responsibilities as the governor of the country’s apex bank. 

He has been alive to the regulatory aspect of the activities of commercial banks; he has been alive to his interventionist role as CBN Governor.”

While disclosing that more than three million Nigerians have already expressed their support for the clarion call for Emefiele to run, he said The Green Alliance would continue to encourage millions of Nigerians, including his brothers and sisters in his home state of Delta, to join the project.

“Emefiele has contributed his quota to the financial system in Nigeria. We want him to bring to bear his managerial ability and acumen to all other parts of the country