…CBN Gov asks court to declare him eligible to contest
Central Bank Governor, Godwin Emefiele has lost bid to restrain the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the office of the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) from halting his presidential ambition The Trumpet gathered.
A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja on Monday refused to grant Emefiele’s prayers. It, however, summoned both INEC and the AGF to appear on May 12 to showcase why status quo antebellum should not be granted the CBN Governor.
Emefiele had on Monday through his counsel, Chief Mike Ozekhome a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, in an ex- parte motion dated and filed on May 9, sought an order from the Court Abuja restraining the Federal Government from removing him as Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria CBN over his presidential ambition pending the hearing and determination of the substantive matter.
In his prayers, he was seeking an order of maintenance of status quo antebellum.
Emefiele also prayed Justice Ahmed Mohammed to stop the Independent National Electoral Commission INEC from taking any action against him in the bid to contest in the presidential primary by virtue of his office.
In the affidavit sworn before the court, Ozekhome had declared “that the Plaintiff is being daily called upon to seek election to the office of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria under any political party and participate as a candidate in the upcoming 2023 presidential election fixed for 25th February 2023.
“That the parties’ presidential primaries are scheduled to hold on or about 30th May and 1st June 2022.
“That it is already less than 30 days to the party’s scheduled presidential primaries.
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“That the Plaintiff has brought this suit to urgently challenge the attempt to disqualify and exclude him from participating in the party presidential primaries.
“That unless this suit is urgently assigned, with the time for taking steps and filling of processes in the suit abridged by this honourable the suit urgently determined, irreparable damage will be done to the Plaintiff, in that he would be barred from participating in the said parties presidential primaries taking place in less than a month.
“That unless the suit is timeously heard before the imminent event of the primaries, it would foist on this honourable court a situation of fait accompli and complete helplessness and there would be nothing left for the court to decide.
“That it is necessary to grant accelerated hearing and abridgement of filling of processes and hearing the suit as stipulated by the Rules of court in this case.
“That it is necessary to assign a near date for hearing of the motion for abridgement of time and hearing of the substantive suit as a matter of urgency”.
Recall that public outcry greeted the news on Friday that a group of rice farmers procured the N100 million presidential nomination form of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for Emefiele, who till date is a serving Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria.
Ondo State governor, Rotimi Akeredolu also of the APC asked Emefiele to resign from office if he is interested in contesting the party’s presidential ticket.
The opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Saturday not only called for Emefiele’s resignation but his arrest and prosecution for violating statutory laws which include the CBN Act and the Federal Civil Service Rule.
