Renowned human rights crusader and Nigeria’s Constitutional Lawyer, Prof. Itse Sagay has stated that the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Mr. Godwin Emefiele is not in breached of any law for joining the country’s 2023 Presidential race.
Sagay stated this during an interview with Daily Trust Newspaper reporter, Mr. Abdullateef Aliyu, while x-raying the legality of Emefiele’s qualification to run for the Nigeria’s President
On the call from Governor Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State for Emefiele to resign as CBN Governor before joining the APC Presidential contest, the Chairman of the Nigeria Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption (PACAC) said, “There is a court judgement which has not been overturned that says you don’t have to resign until 30 days before an election. Until that is overturned, that is the law that governs that situation for now”.
Emefiele, who just picked the All Progressive Congress (APC) Presidential Nomination and Expression of Interest Forms yesterday, following calls from Nigerians across the country to join the 2023 Presidential race, was asked to immediately resign as CBN Governor in a letter by the Ondo State Governor. But the Emeritus Professor and Nigeria’s Constitutional lawyer said Emefiele has until 30 days to 2023 elections to resign if he so wish to run.
Insisting that Emefiele has not breached any law for joining the race and that he’s duly qualified to run, Sagay noted that with the multitude of aspirants that have so far indicated interest, it appears there is a plot by some people to perpetuate themselves in power.
While noting that the whole APC nomination process was being turned into a theatre of the absurd, the legal luminary said “It is like there is a guiding line behind all the confusion whose main objective is to ensure either a Southern candidate is not elected or if a Southern candidate is put there, it would be a candidate who can only serve for four years so that those behind the plot can now come in.
“So it’s either those Northern plotters come in now or they want to create a situation in which somebody would come in for four years so that those behind the plot can now come in.”
