The governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele, has said it is the prerogative of President Muhammadu Buhari to map out his succession plan.
Emefiele stated this in response to calls for him to throw his hat in the ring and contest the 2023 presidential election.
The CBN governor spoke when a ‘group of his friends’, tagged: ‘Friends of Godwin Emefiele’, visited him to discuss the controversy over his rumoured presidential ambition in 2023.
Emefiele, according to the group, maintained that he would leave his faith firmly in the hands of God as regards the choice of the leadership of the country in 2023.
The group said the verbal attacks on Emefiele over the rumoured 2023 bid are uncalled for since he has not confirmed to anyone “he is running for President even as he is constitutionally qualified to do so”.
According to the group, Emefiele said that in 2014, President Goodluck Jonathan tapped him to be the CBN Governor, a job he didn’t lobby for and in which his name was not among those being considered at that time and was not even from the geo-political zone that most people thought the job would go to as the president then was from the same geopolitical zone with him.
It also quoted Emefiele to have said he, “remains humbled by President Muhammadu Buhari’s decision to grant him an unprecedented second term as CBN Governor- again without lobbying. Thus, he will continue to remain loyal to him and the Federal Republic of Nigeria”.
“Mr. Emefiele told us that he believes it’s the prerogative of President Muhammadu Buhari to plan his succession in line with global best practices for good governance for the continuing peace and progress of the federal republic of Nigeria, as such he will play his part to stabilise the economy for an orderly transition.
“And given that it’s God that anoints leaders, he will leave his fate firmly in the hands of God”, they affirmed.
