Youths Protest at CBN Headquarters, Call For Emefiele Resignation
Protesters had besieged the headquarters of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) demanding the resignation of its governor, Godwin Emefiele.
The protesters carrying various placards, asked Emefiele to step aside and honour the invitation of Department of State Service (DSS).
The protests was organized by the National Youth Council of Nigeria.
The council’s president, Solomon Addo who led the protests said they would continue until the CBN Governor leaves office.
Following the protests, security forces had tightened their grip on the axis.
Rockcity FM recalled that sometimes last May the Ondo State Governor Akeredolu asked the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor Godwin Emefiele to resign over his move to join the presidential race.
Akeredolu made this comment that Emefiele cannot combine his work with partisan politics; hours after a group of supporters purchased the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential nomination form for him.
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The governor also asked President Muhammadu Buhari to remove the CBN governor forcefully if he refused to resign because his position makes the move to become the president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria “brazen”.
Meanwhile President Buhari in reaction passed a memo last May 11 directing Emefiele and other top government officials with ambition to contest for political offices to resign.
The memo issued by the secretary to government of the federation, Boss Mustapha, states that officials, including ministers, heads of agencies, parastatals and departments contesting in the forthcoming elections to step down before May 16.
Yielding to the directives, the Niger Delta Minister, Godswill Akpabio; the Minister of Science and Technology, Ogbonnaya Onu; and the Minister of State for Education, Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba, stepped down.
Emefiele defending himself made it clear that he intends to run for president, and has fought to keep his seat while apparently involved in partisan politics.
Ignoring criticism, the CBN governor filed a suit at the Federal High court in Abuja through his lawyer, Mike Ozekhome, to contest his eligibility to run while in office as CBN governor.
According to Emefiele, the court should order Independent National Electoral Commission (INCE) and the Attorney General of the Federal (AGF) to maintain status quo ante bellum (allow things to remain the way they are) and not compel him to resign from his position as CBN governor, until 30 days to the general elections.
He argued that he was not a political appointee and he was not caught up by section 84 (12) of the new electoral act, since he is a public servant.
But disappointingly the court rejected Emefiele’s ex-parte application, and directed him to go and put the two defendants on notice and also serve them with all the relevant processes in the matter.
Emefiele later withdrew the suit at the Federal High Court after meeting with President Buhari last May 25 and quits the 2023 presidential race.
