CBN reacts as Emefiele reportedly join presidential race

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has dissociated itself from a report by an online medium claiming that the CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele, contemplated resigning his position to contest for 2023 presidential election.

CBN spokesman, Osita Nwasinobi told Leadership that the report was a distraction from the CBN’s focus on its mandate of minding monetary policies, financial stability and supporting government programmes.

“I don’t know where that platform got their news from. We discuss monetary policies at the Central Bank and how to support the government, we don’t discuss politics. All these distractions, they should leave us out of them so that we do our job!,” Nwasinobi said.

Another director at the apex bank said it was too early a day to tag Emefiele with presidential ambition when the presidential election was still over a year far off.

The report by the online platform had quoted a source at the bank, saying that Mr Emefiele told his four Deputy Governors in December last year that he would be quiting his position as the Central Bank Governor to contest for presidency this month.

Emefiele is serving his second term of five years in office. He was first appointed CBN Governor by former President Goodluck Jonathan and was reappointed for the same position by the incumbent President Muhammadu Buhari.