2023: If CBN Governor can buy APC form, INEC can also contest — HURIWA
A non-political organisation, Human Rights Writers Association (HURIWA), has suggested that since the Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mr. Godwin Emefiele, and the Chief Law Officer of the Federation who is the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Alhaji Abubakar Malami (SAN), could declare their interests to contest to be the President of Nigeria and Governor of Kebbi State, respectively, whilst still holding on to supposed non-partisan national offices, it wouldn’t be a shock should the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Yakubu Mahmud, buys the N100 million Presidential Nomination and Expression of Interest forms of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) under President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.
HURIWA specifically stated that since the law setting up the CBN banned the holder of the office of the Governor of the apex bank of Nigeria from running for political office whilst still holding on to that position, if the current Chairman of INEC, Professor Mahmud, decides to buy his own N100 million Presidential nomination form from the APC, he would be allowed to conduct the 2023 poll in which he will run as a candidate.
HURIWA said legally, the CBN Governor was violating the law by going into partisan politics by virtue of his current position, according to the extant provisions of the CBN Act
HURIWA said the CBN Act states also that the Governor or any Deputy Governor may resign his office by giving at least three months’ notice in writing to the President of his intention to do so and any Director may similarly resign by giving at least one month’s notice in writing to the President of his intention to do so.
HURIWA lamented that Nigerians have so much indulged President Muhammadu Buhari which was why despite his monumental show of incompetence, there was little signal of public angst by way of public peaceful demonstration which is why there was so much official impunity and lawlessness by the appointees of the President.
HURIWA said: “If the so-called rice farmers who reportedly collected a lot of financial empowerment from the government through the current Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria can be said to have bought with his tacit approval the N100 million Presidential nomination and expression of interest forms of the ruling APC and the Heavens have not fallen and President Muhammadu Buhari is pretending like he is in another planet and therefore is not aware, what if the Chairman of INEC, who is banned statutorily from partisan Politics just like the CBN Governor, decides he will be participating in the Presidential poll through the political family of President Muhammadu Buhari whose members the Spokesman of the President Garba Shehu said once they enlist into the party their past misdeeds are forgiven, therefore the Chairman of INEC would be allowed to buy the Presidential nomination form by President Muhammadu Buhari, going by his body language.
HURIWA recalled the media reporting that Emefiele kept mum as ‘farmers’ across the country bought the N100m presidential nomination and expression of interest forms of the All Progressives Congress, APC for him.
HURIWA said those who reportedly bought the forms are operating under the banner of a coalition of Commodity Associations in Nigeria, just as news reports said the farmers took the decision to purchase the forms for Emefiele on Wednesday at the end of a two-day intensive meeting in Maitama, Abuja, that drew more than 30 commodity associations from 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).They said the decision was reached having realized that the CBN Governor was one of the trusted and tested Nigerians that have the commitment and competence to protect the interests of farmers across the country and give priority to the commodity and agricultural value chain.
HURIWA through the National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, said the decision of President Muhammadu Buhari to allow his appointees to desecrate extant laws and to commit colloidal abuses of their powers by dabbling into partisan Politics whilst still holding on to publicly funded offices was a breach of section 15(5) of the Constitution which mandates Government to eradicate corruption practices and abuse of powers.
