The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has acknowledged receiving a petition filed against the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mr. Godwin Emefiele, regarding his 2023 Presidential bid.

The petition lodged last month by the Human & Environmental Development Agenda (HEDA Resource Centre) insisted that Section 9 of the Central Bank of Nigeria Act bars the CBN governor and his deputies from engaging in politics and other businesses, unless such person resigns, but contrary to public expectations’.

“The section reads thus: ‘The Governor and the Deputy Governors shall devote the whole of their time to the service of the Bank and while holding office shall not engage in any full or part time employment or vocation whether remunerated or not except such personal or charitable causes as may be determined by the Board and which do not conflict with or detract from their full time duties’.”

HEDA petitioned ICPC to take swift action to prevent the breach of the Central Bank of Nigeria Act by the Governor, “by promptly and diligently investigating the motive and sponsors of The Green Alliance Movement and if any foul play was uncovered, such culprits should be prosecuted accordingly.”

In a response signed by the Petition Registrar, H.S Folaranmi, on behalf of the chairman of the Commission, Bolaji Owasanoye, to HEDA, ICPC acknowledged HEDA’s petition and promised to act accordingly.

Commenting in a statement made available to News Express on Monday, the Chairman of HEDA, Mr. Olanrewaju Suraju, maintained that Emefiele had been involved in politics and a member of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), contrary to the law. “By telling Nigerians that within the week, he would let Nigerians know his stand (to run or not) after hearing from God, It then means he's been involved in politics and member of APC, contrary to the law,” Suraju asserted.

He reminded Emefiele that “failure to publicly state his position on the 2023 general election would not only be precarious to Nigeria’s current fragile economy but inimical to the country’s financial integrity, saying that the current state of the economy requires all actors to stay focused on the task of repositioning Nigeria on a trajectory of prosperity.”

“Going by our mandate as a leading Anti-corruption organization in Nigeria, we expect every political aspirant to play by the rules, but they must remember that good governance remains the hallmark of democracy,” Suraj added.

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