Sahara Reporters Latest News Today Thursday 12th May 2022
Sahara Reporters Latest News Today and headlines on some of the happenings and news trend in the Country, today 12/05/22
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Presidential Aspirant, Moghalu Promises To Take Battle To Terrorists, Rescue Kidnapped Victims Like “It’s Done In Movies”
Former deputy governor of Central Bank of Nigeria and presidential aspirant of the Action Democratic Congress (ADC), Kingsley Moghalu has said battles will be taken to the enemies if he is elected president of Nigeria.Moghalu, in an interview on Channels Television on Wednesday monitored by SaharaReporters, said people abducted by terrorists and bandits will be rescued using tactics as seen in movies or as done in advanced countries.
He said, “The military has to be strengthened; we need to go into the forests and take control of our territory, you must take the battle to the enemy. “You manage the risk of collateral damage, do terrorists live in the forest? Terrorists are living in this forest.” “Well, there are ways to rescue victims; it happens. We watch it in movies and we have seen it done in many countries; that’s why I talked about upgrading and also using technology. If we use technology, I think we can be more proactive against terrorists,” he said.Moghalu also knocked TraderMoni and FarmerMoni initiatives of the Muhammadu Buhari-led government, saying if they were successful, there wouldn’t have been a high unemployment rate in the country. He, however, promised to establish N1 trillion venture fund that will give temporary employment to Nigerian graduates for a period of between six months and a year. “I intend to establish a one trillion naira venture capital fund which will give temporary unemployment support to young people coming out of the universities for a period of six months or a maximum of one year on a condition they go through skills training and the venture capital fund will give young people funds to start a new business based on their skills,” he said. Moghalu also promised to revamp the police force.
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2023 Elections: Akpabio Becomes Third Minister To Resign From Buhari’s Cabinet Over Presidential Ambition
Minister of Niger Delta, Godswill Akpabio
Godswill Akpabio, the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs has tendered his resignation. This is to allow him to contest the 2023 presidential election.
Minister of Niger Delta, Godswill Akpabio
President Muhammadu Buhari earlier on Wednesday directed all members of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) running for elective offices to submit their letters of resignation on or before Monday, May 16, 2022.The order was announced during the Federal Executive Council meeting presided over by the President at the Council Chambers of the State House, Abuja.His resignation comes after those of the Minister of State for Education, Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba and the Minister of Science and Technology, Ogbonnaya Onu, both also aiming for the presidency. The Minister’s Personal Assistant to the Minister on Media, Jackson Udom, confirmed the resignation to The Nation.“The minister has resigned. He has submitted his resignation letter to the SGF. We are waiting for him at the ICC, where he is coming to submit his nomination form,” he said. Incidentally, the Minister of State for Niger Delta Affairs, Tayo Alasoadura, had also picked up relevant forms to contest for the Ondo Central Senatorial seat on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC). He will also have to resign from office to keep his political ambition alive, meaning there will temporarily be no minister in the ministry.
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BREAKING: Rotimi Amaechi Resigns As Transportation Minister Over Presidential Ambition, After Buhari’s Directive
Rotimi Amaechi, the Minister of Transportation has tendered his resignation. This is to allow him to contest the 2023 presidential election.
President Muhammadu Buhari earlier on Wednesday directed all members of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) running for elective offices to submit their letters of resignation on or before Monday, May 16, 2022.Amaechi’s resignation comes after those of the Minister of State for Education, Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba, Minister of Science and Technology, Ogbonnaya Onu, and Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Godswill Akpabio, all aiming for the presidency on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC). APC United Kingdom on its official Twitter handle on Wednesday announced the resignation of Amaechi, saying, “Nigeria’s Minister of #Transportation, HM Chibuike R. Amaechi @ChibuikeAmaechi has resigned from the Federal Executive Council (FEC) to focus on his Presidential Campaign.“Thank you for your service to Nigeria.”BREAKINGNigeria’s Minister of #Transportation, HM Chibuike R. Amaechi @ChibuikeAmaechi has resigned from the Federal Executive Council (FEC) to focus on his Presidential Campaign.Thank you for your service to Nigeriað??³ð??¬ ð??ð??ð??@MinTransportNG @NigeriaGov pic.twitter.com/7T0ByKjJ2z— APC United Kingdom (@APCUKingdom) May 11, 2022
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EXCLUSIVE: Masanawa, Managing Director Of Nigerian Company In Charge Of Printing Election Materials Picks APC Governorship Nomination Form, Refuses To Resign
Abbas Umar Masanawa, Managing Director of Nigerian Security Printing and Minting Plc was among those who picked the N50 million All Progressives Congress governorship nomination and expression of interest forms ahead of the primaries for the 2023 elections, SaharaReporters has gathered.Masanawa is seeking to succeed Katsina State Governor, Aminu Bello Masari in 2023.
In addition to printing the banknotes and the postal orders of Nigeria, the Nigerian Security Printing and Minting Plc also prints some electoral materials for the Independent National Electoral Commission.The company, also referred to as The MINT, was established in 1963 by the Nigerian government in partnership with De La Rue of the UK and is under the Central Bank of Nigeria.It began full operation in 1965, producing currency notes and coins for the CBN as well as a wide range of security documents for the government, commercial banks, and blue-chip companies, among others.Sources told SaharaReporters that Masanawa has refused to resign despite picking up the APC governorship forms.“The man that mints the naira note has come out to say he is a member of the APC and also declared to run for governor. The Nigerian Security Printing and Minting Plc actually prints some of our election materials. He is from Katsina, he has refused to resign just like his boss at the Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele,” a source told SaharaReporters.This comes a few days after the Independent National Electoral Commission said the involvement of the CBN Governor, Emefiele in politics was threatening the 2023 elections.INEC in a statement by Rotimi Oyekanmi, the Chief Press Secretary to its Chairman, said the commission might move ballot papers from the CBN vaults.The Chairman of the APC Ward 6 of the Ika South Local Government Area of Delta State, Mr. Nduka Erikpume, had on Sunday confirmed Emefiele’s membership of the ruling party, saying the CBN governor registered as far back as February 2021.Three support groups had last week purportedly bought APC N100m presidential nomination and expression of interest forms for Emefiele.Demanding his resignation, some civil society organisations including BudgIt, CISLAC, CLP, Dataphyte, EiE Nigeria said, “The CBN Act (2007) was written to protect the CBN from external political interference, not expecting that the interference could be internal at the highest level.“If there is any doubt about the implied and expected neutrality of the CBN, Nigerians should be reminded that the materials for our elections are kept in CBN offices across the country and the Nigerian Security Printing and Minting Plc (an agency of the CBN) prints some of our election materials.“Separation of powers is at the heart of any democracy, and it is for this reason that by our laws, the CBN Governor cannot be appointed or removed at will by the executive arm of government.”Earlier in the year, Auditor General for the Federation in its 2019 report indicted the mint company under Masanawa for N162 billion in financial infractions.According to the AGF, the management of the Nigerian government-owned company could not account for the said amount.The report said N91.1 billion, which appeared in the consolidated financial statements of the minting company for the year ended 31st December 2018 could not be verified and reconciled with the Assets Register due to the non-existence of a proper Non-Current Asset Inventories Ledger.It also said that Inventories of Raw Materials amounting to N4,459,141,000.00 and Consumables amounting to N2,364,112,000.00 could also not be verified due to the non-existence of proper Inventory Receipts & Issues ledger.The report said, “In all, a total of N97,918,703,000.00 reported in the company’s financial statement could not be confirmed. The above anomalies could be attributed to weaknesses in the internal control system at the Nigerian Security Printing and Minting Plc.”The AuGF report also said the sum of N48,931,124,278.37 was overcharged against the Statement of Financial Performance of the company for the years 2016 and 2019 with no verifiable evidence to justify these expenses as most of the figures contained in the Statement of Financial Performance were different from the balances obtained from the Trial Balance.The report said that the minting company spent about N14.43 billion on salaries and allowances for its staff between 2016 and 2019 without the approval of the National Salaries, Income and Wages.It also said that in contravention of the Pension Reform Acts, the company paid salaries to its workers without fully deducting only 5% from the workers as against the minimum 8% as stipulated in the law.The report added that the company failed to deduct about N432.812 million contributory pension from its workers within the period.
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2023 Elections: Nigeria’s Minister Of Science, Ogbonnaya Onu Resigns After Buhari’s Directive
Ogbonnaya Onu
The Minister of Science and Technology, Ogbonnaya Onu, has resigned from office. This follows the directive of President Muhammadu Buhari to all members of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) running for elective offices to submit their letters of resignation on or before Monday, May 16, 2022.
Ogbonnaya Onu
The order which came on Wednesday was announced during the Federal Executive Council meeting presided over by the President at the Council Chambers of the State House, Abuja.According to a report by Punch, sources within the office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation and the Ministry of Science and Technology confirmed that Onu had indeed dropped his resignation.“The minister was at the office of the SGF to drop his resignation. That was expected seeing as the president asked that they all should resign,” a source was quoted as saying.Onu had on May 6, 2022, declared for the presidency under the ruling All Progressives Congress.SaharaReporters had earlier reported that the Minister of State for Education, Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba had resigned from office.President Buhari had singled out the minister for finding the courage to resign from office.Nwajiuba had declared his intention to run for President in 2023 and picked up the N100 million expression of interest and nomination forms of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).SaharaReporters had reported that the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, on Wednesday also asked all members of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) contesting elective positions in 2023 to resign.According to Mohammed, the President’s order excludes the Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo because he is an elected member of the cabinet.
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Neutrality Of Heads Of Government Agencies By Femi Falana
A few days ago, it was reported that the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Professor Mahmoud, was going to contest for the office of the President under the All Progressives Congress (APC). At about the same time, it was reported that a group of farmers had paid for and obtained the nomination form of the APC to enable the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Mr. Godwin Emefiele, to participate in the presidential primary election of the APC scheduled to hold later this month. In a prompt denial of the news report, the INEC stated: “The Chairman remains an umpire committed to free, fair and credible elections. His constitutional responsibilities as the Chief Electoral Commissioner of the Federation and Returning Officer for the presidential election are onerous enough for him to even contemplate straying into extraneous matters at variance with the law, morality and his personal principles. The chairman will continue to discharge his responsibilities without affection for, or ill-will against, any political party or candidate.” Unlike the INEC Chairman, the CBN Governor, Mr. Emefiele, claimed to have registered as a member of the ruling party in a ward in Delta State, about three months ago. Notwithstanding the nationwide disapproval of his involvement in politics Mr. Emefiele has rushed to the Federal High Court to seek the authorisation to contest the presidential primary election of the ruling party without relinquishing the post of the Governor of the CBN. The ground of the legal gamble is that as a political appointee he is not affected by section 84(12) of the Electoral Act 2022. By seeking the relief, the Plaintiff wants the Federal High Court to confirm the decision of the Umuahia Judicial Division of the Federal High Court on the subject matter.
Nigerians have been wondering whether the Chief Justice of Nigeria, the Inspector-General of Police, service chiefs and heads of security agencies can become members of political parties and contest elections and thereby destroy the independence and impartiality of the public institutions headed by them. More so, an institution like CBN which warehouses the ballot papers and other sensitive materials of the INEC. Incidentally, both the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court have insisted on the independence and impartiality of electoral bodies and security agencies in the management of elections in Nigeria. Thus, in the case of Olusegun Agagu & Ors v Olusegun Mimiko & Ors (2010) 32 WRN 16, the Court of Appeal criticized the Nigeria Police Force and the Independent National Electoral Commission for displaying bias during the 2007 Ondo State Governorship Election. The Justices of the Court unanimously held: “The only appeal outstanding for consideration is that of the second Respondent/Appellant who can really claim to be an aggrieved party. The other Appellants are nominal parties who have no stake as to the outcome of the appeal. It is none of their business to decide the person whom the electorates elect and consequently declared by the Court to be the winner and person returned. The primary functions of these purported Appellants are to ensure that there is fairness and security at the election. Public policy demands that the two institutions do not descend into the arena, and theirs is to tend the rope in the interest of peace and stability in the land, thus, they should learn to remain neutral and strive to attain the aura of neutrality bestowed on them by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. I commend to these Appellants the attitude of the Nigerian Army and the Nigerian Navy, who were equally joined as Respondents, but did not enter the fray to further complicate proceedings that were already complicated.” In the same vein, in the case of Attorney-General of the Federation v Alhaji Atiku Abubakar (2007) 20 WRN 1, the Supreme Court berated the Police and INEC for their partiality in the management of the 2007 presidential election in the case of Attorney-General of the Federation v Atiku Abubakar. Speaking for the apex court, Pius Aderemi JSC of blessed memory said: “The 2nd and the 3rd appellants in this matter are the Inspector General of Police and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). The office of the Inspector General of Police is a creation of the 1999 Constitution. The Nigeria Police Force is also a creation of the 1999 Constitution. See Section 214 of the 1999 Constitution. Also, by the force of the said 1999 Constitution, the Nigeria Police Force shall and is under the command of the Inspector General of Police. The primary duty; indeed the most fundamental duty of the Nigeria Police Force is the maintenance and securing of public safety and public order within the country. In the performance of its duty, the Nigeria Police Force must manifestly demonstrate impartiality; it must not lean to one side against the other; it must be apolitical. It must not take part in any disputation, which has political coloration. These qualities are sine qua non to the enhancement of public respectability to it. The appeal filed by the 2nd respondent (The Inspector General of Police) does the Nigeria Police Force no credit; it paints a picture of partiality by the Force. Also the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) by its statutory existence is an independent body with constitutional powers to conduct elections in Nigeria. It must not only be an umpire, it must be seen, in the eyes of reasonable men, to be an impartial umpire in the conduct of an election. INEC must never by act of omission or commission place itself in a position where imputations of partiality in favour of one party against another one will be levelled against it. “Neutrality must be the watchword of the body – it must always remain fair and focused. Having regard to the nature of the function which the Nigeria Police Force also performs, that body must also insulate itself such that impartiality and fairness may at all times be ascribed to it. A situation where both of them (the Inspector General of Police and the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC) appeal in the instant case is very much in bad taste. They have both thrown the quality of impartiality and fairness, which they must possess to the winds. Their acts are capable of eroding the public confidence in them. Unknown to them, they may be said, by the public, to be biased and therefore not worthy to be regarded as impartial umpires. This trend must not repeat itself for the good of the nation. It is a sour taste.” In the past few weeks, some Ministers made a mockery of the neutrality and impartiality of the institutions headed by them by purchasing the outrageous nomination forms of the APC and abandoning their office to campaign as presidential aspirants. In the process, they engaged in gross abuse of office. In Lagos City Council v Ogunbiyi, (1969), All NLR 297, 299, Ademola, CJN, stated that: “Abuse of office is use of power to achieve ends other than those for which power was granted for example for personal gain to show undue favour to another or wreak vengeance on an opponent to mention but a few.” Even though belatedly, President Buhari has asked such Ministers to resign their appointments. The Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Mr. Godwin Emefiele, has abused his office much more than the former Ministers. Since it has been confirmed that he has become a registered member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), INEC has expressed fear that the sensitive materials kept in the Bank might be compromised. Apart from undermining the commitment of the INEC to conduct a credible election in 2023 the involvement of Mr. Emefiele in partisan politics is going to further sabotage the economy under his watch. President Buhari should sack Mr. Emefiele without any further delay. FEMI FALANA SAN
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Nigerian Anti-graft Agency, EFCC Arrests 36 Suspected Internet Fraudsters In Imo
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, says it has arrested 36 suspected internet fraudsters in Owerri, the Imo State capital. A statement by the Commission’s Head, Media & Publicity, Wilson Uwujaren, on Wednesday said the suspects were arrested by its operatives of the Enugu Zonal Command.
The anti-graft agency gave the names of the suspects as including “Chukwuma Destiny, Emenalom Precise, Nwaeze Obinna, Ogbonna Monday, Raymond Chigozie, Mmadu Bright, Chigozie Sixtus, Ike Joachim Uchechukwu, Ifeanyi Uzor, Iwuanyanwu Divine, Nwoke Udojah, Patrick Micheal, Chukwu Hillary, Charles Nneji, Nwachukwu Chibueze, Obinna Ajem, Egwu Williams and Samuel Michael. “Others are Ike Joseph, Ekperi Ikechukwu, Iwwohen Ikechukwu, Joshua Emmanuel, John Dickson, Madu Sixtus, Onyemauche Tochukwu, Chibueze Miracle, Precious Uchenna, Amamasim Bright, Ibeawuchi Obumneke, Ihugba Chikmso, Chima Charles, Christian Mahakwe, Okorie Arinze, Chukwu Kenechukwu, Mahakwe Charles and Chima Fidel” According to the statement, the suspects were arrested at Owerri, Imo State following credible intelligence linking them to cyber-fraud targeting mostly foreign nationals. “Items recovered from them include several phones, laptops, passports, one Lexus ES 350 with NYCN registration number IMO 44, one Mercedes Benz GLK with registration number KTU 729 HD and one Toyota Camry with registration number KTU 720 HL.” The Commission said the suspects would be charged to court after the conclusion of its investigation.
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E2%80%93-sowore How Goodluck Jonathan Brought Buhari To Power – Sowore
Omoyele Sowore
Convener of the #RevolutionNow movement and founder of Sahara Reporters, Omoyele Sowore has taken a swipe at those who accuse him of playing a role in bringing President Muhammadu Buhari to power in 2015.Sowore made the rebuttal during his appearance as a guest in the first of the series of Presidential Aspirants Interviews put together by the online Talk show 90MinutesAfrica, hosted by Rudolf Okonkwo and Chido Onumah on Sunday.
Omoyele Sowore
SaharaReporters Media/Dotun Olawoye
Goodluck Jonathan became the first incumbent president in Nigeria to lose re-election when his party lost the presidential election to the All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2015. Since then, some supporters of the former president and his party, the PDP, have continued to blame Mr. Sowore and others who were critical of the Jonathan administration for enabling the ascension to power of President Buhari.Some people suggested that Sowore was paid huge sums of money to work for Mr Buhari during the 2015 election.Sowore described the allegations as mere propaganda, saying that former President Goodluck Jonathan was the major culprit in bringing Buhari to power.“Goodluck Jonathan mismanaged Nigeria so badly that Buhari became attractive to people who were looking for an alternative,” the 2023 presidential aspirant of the African Action Congress (AAC) noted. The founder of Sahara Reporters said he had never met Mr. Buhari. “Even when Buhari visited the United States after he won the election, he requested to see me but I declined. I have never met Buhari before and I don’t have any plans to meet him,” Sowore said.He explained that everything he did in exposing the corruption and mismanagement in the Jonathan government was strictly his duty as a publisher of Sahara Reporters.Sowore also spoke on sundry issues during the interview, including his ordeal under the Buhari government, his inability to see his family, and his call for a revolution.He acknowledged the slow pace of acceptance of his ideas by Nigerians but expressed optimism that with time they will understand that it is the only way to achieve a better country.“I understand that Nigerians are slow with taking in new ideas, but we have to be consistent and persistent in telling them about the need for this revolution. We can’t afford to sit down and expect things to work out themselves,” he argued.Sowore said the clamour for zoning will not bring about the desired social justice in Nigeria, describing it as an “overly simplistic” solution to the complex problems besetting the nation.“Justice cannot be achieved by zoning the presidency to any region in which you still leave the political elites who are the source of injustice to determine who emerges as the winner,” he noted. On what he has endured because of his RevolutionNow campaign, the activist expressed sadness about his inability to attend his brother’s burial and take care of his aged mother because of his detention by the Department of State Services (DSS).Sowore’s movement was restricted to Abuja as part of his bail conditions until April 2023 when the restriction was lifted. He visited his hometown in Ondo State last week after three years. He said he was heartbroken seeing his mother “paralysed from neck down.”“When I was released in 2019, she had two years visa and my intention was for us to get on a plane and travel for medical checks and get her treated in the US but that never happened,” Sowore lamented.“I didn’t realise that what the military was doing in 1993 will become a child’s play in 2022 under a civilian regime.”The activist vowed to continue the struggle until Nigeria is free from the stranglehold of the corrupt political elite.“I was born a Nigerian,” Sowore declared. “I refused US citizenship because I wanted to face the consequences of being born a Nigerian.”
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Civic Groups Commend Buhari For Asking Amaechi, Malami, Other Ministers Contesting Election To Resign
Civic groups, the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre, Transition Monitoring Group (TMG) and the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD) have lauded President Muhammadu Buhari for ordering members of his cabinet vying for elective office to resign.Buhari had during the meeting of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) on Wednesday asked all his ministers contesting the election in 2023 to resign on or before Monday, May 16.
In a statement, the groups said the directive reflects responsiveness to the yearnings of the citizenry.They also said such would douse fears about the credibility of the electoral process ahead of the 2023 election.The statement reads: “The Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC), Transition Monitoring Group (TMG) and the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD) commend Mr. President for taking this laudable step and listening to the call of Nigerians towards a free and fair election, following the issuance of his directives that all members of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) running for elective office must submit their letters of resignation on or before Monday, the 16th of May, 2022.”We hope that this directive takes full effect pending legislation on the Court of Appeal’s decision to void Section 84(12) of the Electoral Act 2022 which made it mandatory for political appointees to resign from office before they could vote as delegates or vie for any elective position.”It is worthy of note to mention that this action puts to bed worries of complicity in the impunity with which some political appointees have expressed their political interests ahead of the upcoming general elections in total disregard for the provisions of the Electoral Act 2022 and the sensibilities of Nigerians whose collective resources have been diverted to satisfy personal political ambitions.”These illegalities have been well condemned by the public and the President’s decision at this time is indeed a welcome one and reflects responsiveness to the yearnings of the citizenry.”We also call on all political parties to demonstrate ethical and moral standards that ensure a democratic election and avoid the commercialization and proliferation of money politics which has disqualified patriotic Nigerians from partaking in the elections.”
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2023 Presidency: Groups Start Petition, Invite Signatories To Demand Immediate Resignation Of Emefiele As Nigerian Central Bank Governor
Civil society organisations have called on Nigerians to sign a petition demanding the immediate resignation of Godwin Emefiele from his position as Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria following his involvement in partisan politics. The groups, including BudgIt, CISLAC, CLP, Dataphyte, EiE Nigeria, said Emefiele joined the All Progressives Congress (APC) in February 2021 and neither his party members nor the leadership thought of it as contrary to the spirit and the letter of his terms of engagement as CBN Governor.
The collective groups urged Nigerians to stay focused on demanding the quality of leadership Nigeria requires in the 21st century to leverage its human and natural resources. They said, “As is typical in an election season, various political players are indulging in tactics that are inconsistent with democratic values. “The high cost of nomination forms, unknown form buyers, media disinformation and other political gimmicks are some ways politicians, especially the governing party, are distracting citizens from focusing on the key issues of governance and leadership that Nigeria needs at this time. “At the minimum, Nigeria deserves a leader with: a strong commitment and respect for the rule of law and judicial integrity. An understanding of and respect for the separation of powers — legislative, executive and judiciary. “The ability to uphold the Nigerian 1999 Constitution (as amended) for equity and justice. A development drive in the direction of preserving the dignity of Nigerian citizens.” They added that it is important to remind Nigerians of these critical issues in light of the decision by Godwin Emefiele, Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), to contest for the office of president. “The CBN Act (2007) was written to protect the CBN from external political interference, not expecting that the interference could be internal at the highest level. “If there is any doubt to the implied and expected neutrality of the CBN, Nigerians should be reminded that the materials for our elections are kept in CBN offices across the country and the Nigerian Security Printing and Minting Plc (an agency of the CBN) prints some of our election materials. “Separation of powers is at the heart of any democracy, and it is for this reason that by our laws, the CBN Governor cannot be appointed or removed at will by the executive arm of government. “In addition, for the same reason, two-thirds of the Senate, not a simple majority, is required for the Governor’s removal by the legislative arm. Therefore, the breach of this principle by Godwin Emefiele should not stand. “We remain resolute in our stance: Godwin Emefiele’s political ambition hinders the independent decision-making his role requires, and therefore a liability to the credibility of the Central Bank, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and our electoral process. He should therefore resign immediately to pursue his partisan interests or the National Assembly should commence the process to terminate his appointment. “Nigerians can lend their voice to this call by signing the petition here: www.change.org/meffymustgo.” The statement was jointly signed by Seun Onigbinde, BudgIT; Auwal Rafsanjani, Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC); Atinuke Odukoya, Centre for Women’s Health and Information; Ngozi Iwere, Community Life Project (CLP); Joshua Olufemi, Dataphyte; ‘Yemi Adamolekun, EiE Nigeria; Ayodeji Fadugba, Kili Ceramics. Others are Ier Jonathan-Ichaver, Sesor Empowerment Foundation; Princess Hamman-Obels, The Electoral Hub; Abiola Akiyode-Afolabi, Women Advocates Research and Documentation Centre (WARDC) and Ayisha Osori.
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