The Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele, on Monday quashed rumours that the Naira redesign policy of the apex bank was a plot to scuttle the presidential ambition of Bola Tinubu or frustrate the president-elect’s political interests.
POLITICS NIGERIA reports that a popular Nigerian newspaper had reported today (Monday) that Emefiele is determined to influence the outcome of the March 18 governorship election in Lagos State against the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
The paper said the CBN has “released N500 million in new bank notes to shore up the campaign of the Labour Party in Lagos State”.
Lagos is Nigeria’s economic nerve centre and the stronghold of the President-elect, Tinubu.
The Labour Party secured an upset against APC in the February 25 presidential poll in the state when its candidate, Peter Obi, polled 582,454 votes as against the 577,606 scored by Tinubu’s APC.
But reacting to the newspaper’s allegation in a statement signed by the Acting Director Corporate Communications of the CBN, Isa Abdulmumin, the apex bank’s helmsman denied the accusation.
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 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.”