The Senate President, Godswill Akpabio has said that the immediate Former Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele, tried sabotaging the just concluded February 25th presidential elections with the introduction of the naira redesign policy.
Akpabio mentioned this during the screening of CBN Governor Nominee, Olayemi Cardoso, and four deputy governor nominees for the apex bank on Tuesday, September 26.
Recall that, In October 2022, Emefiele announced CBN’s plan to redesign and circulate a new series of three banknotes out of the existing eight.
According to Emefiele, the old naira notes would remain legal tender until January 31, 2023.
The policy was implemented on the eve of the general election and led to the scarcity of the naira notes, in turn crippled Nigeria economy.
During the screening, the Senate President asked Cardoso if he would also meddle in politics like his predecessor.
Akpabio asked, “CBN Governor, will you uphold the integrity, steadfastness – to resist when politicians come to you to join the presidential race and display your posters even as a sitting CBN Governor in political conventions?
“Will you rush to display your profile electronically at political conventions while sitting as a governor because politicians have told you that you have enough money in CBN to do it?
“Don’t forget the fact that the money in the central bank isn’t for you. Will you have the courage to resist the temptation to listen to politicians and throw your hat into the ring and go back to your office and sit as CBN governor?
“Will you rush to sabotage the election in Nigeria by going for new notes, two days to the election when no country in the world changes new notes within one year, you do your own in 14 days or 11 to see how you can sabotage the election in Nigeria?”
However, the new Apex Bank boss promised to embrace compliance, assuring that under his leadership, the apex bank would remain apolitical.
“I believe that the Central Bank under our watch will have no choice but to embrace a culture of compliance,” he said.
“We will not wait for oversight to come and tell us what to do. We will ensure that by the time the system is passing through us, we catch it and we deal with it,” he stated.
The deputy governors who were confirmed are, Emem Nnana Usoro, Muhammad Sani Abdullahi Dattijo, Philip Ikeazor, and Bala Bello.
