ABUJA — The governor of Nigeria’s Central Bank, Godwin Emefiele has asked a federal high court in Abuja for a ruling permitting him to retain his post while running for president.
The suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/610/2022 was filed on Thursday, May 5 by Emefiele’s lawyer, Mike Ozekhome (SAN), and has the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and Abubakar Malami, Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), as defendants.
This was two days before the CBN governor said he had not made up his mind to run for the office of the president after three pro-Emefiele groups bought the APC presidential forms worth N100 million on his behalf.
Emefiele’s plan to seek to succeed President Muhammadu Buhari has stoked calls for him to resign his position as the head of Nigeria’s apex bank.
However, in the lawsuit he filed through his counsel, Ozekhome, Emefiele sought to restrain the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) from forcing him to resign from office to pursue his presidential ambition.
One of the questions he posed before the court reads: “Whether the provisions of section 84 (12) of the Electoral Act, 2022, which are consistent with the provisions of section 137(1)(G) of the constitution of the federal republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended) which have been declared so by a competent court of jurisdiction can be relied upon by the defendants to disqualify the plaintiff from contesting election to the office of president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria or from contesting or participating in the parties’ primaries or convention or congress for the purpose of election to the office of president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria scheduled for 25th February 2023.”
In an ex-parte application argued on Monday, Emefiele via his Counsel argued that Section 84 ((12) of the Electoral Act as amended, 2022 does not affect him, being a public servant and not a political appointee.
He stated that he is under no legal obligation to give up his current position ahead of party primaries.
Meanwhile, Justice Ahmed Ramat Mohammed in his ruling declined the request.
The judge adjourned the matter till May 12 for the defendants, INEC and AGF, to show cause on why the governor’s request should not be granted.
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