The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) governor, Godwin Emefiele, has dismissed allegations that he had launched a fresh plot against the president-elect, Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Emefiele was earlier reported to be plotting to influence the outcome of the March 18 governorship election in Lagos State against the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
The report stated that the CBN has “released N500 million in new banknotes to shore up the campaign of the Labour Party in Lagos State”.
The CBN governor who currently faces heavy criticism over the unending Naira scarcity in Nigeria was also said to have secured the services of high military officials to ensure Tinubu’s party, the APC, does not win the Lagos governorship race.
His fight against Tinubu started after his unsuccessful attempt to secure the APC presidential ticket for the 2023 election in which Tinubu eventually defeated Abubakar Atiku of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Labour Party’s Peter Obi.
However, debunking the allegation in a statement signed by the Acting Director Corporate Communications of the CBN, Isa Abdulmumin, the apex bank’s helmsman said he does not take part in politics.
Emefiele said: “The attention of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has been drawn to a story published in The Nation newspaper of Monday, March 13, 2023 edition, alleging that the Governor, Mr. Godwin Emefiele has launched a “fresh plot against the President-elect”.
“The aforementioned story went further to allege that the Governor has made a certain amount of money available to a candidate ahead of the March 18, 2023, gubernatorial poll.
“We wish to inform members of the public that this story is completely false and malicious as the CBN Governor does not know and has never met or even spoken with Mr. Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, either in person or through a proxy.
“We wish to reiterate that the CBN Governor does not take part in politics and therefore urge anyone with contrary information to prove the Governor wrong by providing any facts.”
