Emefiele taunts critics, ‘Let them have heart attack’

 

Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Godwin Emefiele, on Thursday taunted Nigerians who have criticised his presidential ambition.

Emefiele, who was at the State House, Abuja, to meet with President Muhammadu Buhari, told journalists who spoke with him that his critics were free to have heart attack over his ambition to aspire to the Office of the President of the Federation in 2023.

“Let them have heart attack, it’s good to have heart attack. I am having a lot of fun,” Emefiele quipped when posed with a question with regard to the president’s directive that political appointees aspiring for elective offices should resign.

Emefiele had on Monday approached the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, for an order restraining the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and Attorney-General of the Federation from preventing or hindering his participating in the process of the presidential election slated for February next year.

Specifically, he argued that by virtue of being a public servant he cannot be barred from participating in the political primaries of political parties by Section 84(12) of the Electoral Act, 2022.

He submitted that Constitutional provisions stipulated that he can only resign his appointment as Governor of CBN 30 days to the presidential election which he is interested in contesting.

READ: I am humbled by interest for me to run for presidency – Emefiele

Among the court processes he filed before the court was an application for maintenance of status quo, which he predicated on the fact that he would be prejudiced against or hurt if the court does not restrain the defendants from taking any step that would jeopardise his desire to contest the presidential election.

Arguing the motion for maintenance of status quo, Emefiele’s lawyer, Chief Mike Ozekhome, SAN, told the court that Emefiele “is in a dilemma” as to whether he can run in the forthcoming presidential election.

The Federal Government had on Wednesday through the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Boss Mustapha, issued a circular directing serving ministers in the cabinet, heads of government agencies, ambassadors and other political appointees of the administration, with political ambitions in 2023 to resign from the government.

President Buhari had during the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting on Wednesday asked all political appointees that have ambitions to vie for any position in the 2023 general elections to resign on or before Monday, May 16, 2022.