The embattled Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, Mr. Godwin Emefiele for some months now have been having a running battle with the Department of the State Service, DSS over the allegation of sponsorship of terrorists, money tripping and money laundering to the extent of approaching a Court of competent jurisdiction by the secret police to apply for a Motion Exparte to effect the arrest of the CBN governor
By Miracle Egbo
Godwin Emefiele, governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN who is serving his second term as the governor of the apex bank had hogged headlines in the recent times over fiscal policies, allegation of aiding and abetting terrorists, according to the alleged intelligence report of the Department of State Service, DSS, and capping it all with the concerted efforts of DSS to rein him through detention.
The battle between DSS and Emefiele reared its ugly head the moment CBN under the watch of the latter muted the idea of redesigning the naira notes of N200, N500 and N1, 000. An informed source said that the problem of the embattled CBN governor is being orchestrated by the cabal in the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC who felt shortchanged by the idea of redesigning the naira, a cause that is likely going to hamper the planned bazaar to be foisted on the electorate to tilt them towards the favour of the ruling APC in the forthcoming general election. According to sources, the presidency is said to be sympathetic to the cause of the embattled CBN governor, insisting that the DSS has not done proper work as it affects the allegation leveled against him. The president, according to the source, insisted that ruffling the feathers of the CBN governor at this critical moment in the annals of the country would send a wrong signals to the international communities, and it is going to affect the economy of the country even before the exit of President Mohammadu Buhari on May 29, 2023 for the newly elected President.
The attitude of the president in this regard gave vent to the reception of Emefiele in Aso Rock, though in an official duty, but informed insiders insisted that the reception arguably poured cold water on the traducers of the apex bank governor who presumably concluded that the body language of President Buhari is tilted towards not buying into the narratives of DSS. Based on the meeting with President Buhari, there is a palpable reprieve for the embattled CBN governor but it is not yet Uhuru for his freedom as his traducers are digging deep to excavate damning evidences to rope him in.
In the twilight of 2022, DSS approached a High Court in Abuja praying it to grant it leave to go ahead and arrest the CBN governor for allegedly sponsoring terrorists. But that demand was rejected by the Court on the premise that DSS had no evidence to convince it of the wrong doings of the CBN governor. The court said that in any case if the DSS had investigated the matter and had cast-in-stone evidence against Emefiele, the security operative had no need to run to the Court for permission. The pronouncement of the Court on the matter put a hold on the concerted attempt at putting the CBN governor behind bars. In another development, a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has restricted DSS from arresting the CBN governor.
Investigation orchestrated by this medium revealed that some cabals allegedly at the instance of the Minister of Finance, Mrs. Zainab Ahmed are hell bent in making sure that Emefiele is ousted before the general election. The more reason the DSS tried arresting the CBN boss upon his return from oversea for alleged medical trip but was quelled by the president who allegedly resisted the arrest. Although DSS through its image maker, Dr. Peter Afunaya had dismissed the arrest attempt as rumour, a credible source in DSS insisted that there was attempt at arresting him but was stopped by the president. It was gathered that the Minister of Finance is said not to have forgiven Emefiele for secluding her in the plan of redesigning the naira notes, which she would have resisted if she was in the know. Emefiele was said to have played a fast one on the Minister when he invoked the Act that established the apex bank by dealing directly with President Buhari who has soft spot for the redesigning of the naira notes. It was gathered that the effrontery of the CBN under Emefiele not to carry the Minister along in most of the fiscal policies of the apex bank appears to have pitted the Minister against him.
A reliable source said that most of the politicians in the ruling APC are not happy with the CBN with the idea of redesigning the naira notes, and is doing everything politically possible to discredit the governor of the apex bank. According to an insider, a team was set up by some politicians in the ruling APC to rake up dirt to impugn the integrity of the CBN governor the moment he declared his interest to run for the number seat in the 2023 general election through surrogates. That audacious move by Emefiele appeared to have got the goat of most influential politicians in the ruling APC who vowed to deal with him at the appropriate time. It was gathered that politicians on the APC platform are finding it difficult to navigate the political terrain because of the limitation occasioned by the redesigning of the naira notes that is about to rubbish bags of monies stocked in the various homes of the politicians. That singular act is said to be gnawing at the feelings of most corrupt politicians who are always prone to using money to win elections in the country.
However, efforts are on top gear to force the CBN governor to extend the expiring date for the old naira notes till after the election, a plea that has been rejected by the apex bank, and it is further widening the gulf between the CBN governor and those who are fighting him.
Whatever is the case, CBN governor may have survived the onslaught against him what with the supreme support from President Buhari.
