League of Professionals for Good Governance and Accountability and the Northern Leaders Coalition, have suspended their planned action against the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Godwin Emefiele.

In a world press conference addressed Monday in Abuja by the leagues’ President, Gbenga Gonzallo and Alhaji Mohammed Yusuf Ibrahim of the Northern Leaders Coalition, both groups withdrew their call for action and called on other anti-CBN groups to join hands in supporting the creative policies of the CBN.

According to Gonzallo, the initial plans by both organizations were premised on reports made available to them on his activities as CBN governor which he said, were totally false and untrue of his office and person.

He said: “Having weighed the details of what was made available to us against the CBN Governor, we have come to the realization that we are acting on wrong information, and we hereby tender our unreserved apology to the CBN Governor for getting involved wrongfully and joining forces to call for his arrest and removal from office. This action we sincerely regret and apologize.”

Adding: “This meeting was called to clear the air on our initial proposed plan to bring to halt activities in CBN Headquarters and foreign missions in Nigeria not to grant asylum to Godwin Emefiele, and also, to further declare him a persona non- grata with the hope of issuing a visa ban on him.

“Another call was for all northern leaders to go against the CBN governor and call for his immediate arrest based on allegations levied against him by the Department of State Service (DSS). Our unreserved apology is premised on superior arguments made available to us concerning activities and interventions of the CBN under the leadership of Emefiele.

“By this, we officially call off and seize all planned actions against the CBN and urge other anti-CBN groups to join hands in supporting the creative and dynamic governor of CBN and his good policies.

"This should also serve as protection for him if the need arises as we discovered the allegations are trumped-up charges aimed to sacrifice him for some section of the political class.

“It should be noted that this action is not as a result of wrong information given about us in a press conference hurriedly put together by an unknown group but the rather deep conviction of the need to retrace our steps based on issues arising on our initial planned agenda.”

The President also called on the DSS to allow the CBN governor to perform his constitutional duties as well as respect court orders concerning his non-arrest or intimidation, maintaining that political class must also allow public officers to work and not be distracted in any form.

“We respectfully urge the DSS to shield their sword and work with the CBN governor so as to eradicate illicit financial flows in the country with great efficiency,” he added.

According to Gonzallo: “We need peace in our polity as we approach the 2023 general elections. All political classes are hereby warned to desist from fake news and blackmail as a way to ensure free, fair and credible elections come 2023. We frown at behavioural tendencies that would destabilize our democracy.”

Tanker drivers protest alleged killing of colleague in Rivers

Following the alleged killing of their member by security personnel attached to a government task force team in the area, Tanker drivers in Rivers State have staged a protest.

The enraged truck drivers blocked the Emohua axis of the East-West road in protest.

It was gathered that the murdered driver, whose name could not be obtained, was stopped by the task force team allegedly constituted by Emohua local government authority before the disagreement started.

Report has it that an argument ensued between the driver and the task force and that one of the security men working with the team allegedly shot the driver.

However, a driver, Alex Igbani-Owhor, who confirmed the incident said the aggrieved truck and tanker drivers used their vehicles to block the two sides of the road within Ogbakiri junction to C4I along the road, not giving access to other vehicles going and coming into Port Harcourt.

Igbani-Owhor said the truck and tanker drivers have vowed to remain on the road until their colleague is revived or those responsible for his alleged death are brought to book.

Igbani-Owhor said following the development, road users are now stranded as they cannot proceed on their journey. He called on relevant authorities to urgently intervene in the matter.

When contacted, the spokesperson of the Rivers State Police Command, Grace Iringe-Koko, a Superintendent of Police, denied police involvement.

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