The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has called for the sack of the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele, for mocking Nigerians over his presidential aspiration.
Recall that Emefiele had a closed-door meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa on Thursday, a day after the President directed all public office holders seeking elective positions should resign on or before May 16.
After the meeting, the CBN boss was asked by reporters if would resign following the directive by President Buhari to all political appointees and heads of agencies and parastatal seeking elective offices in the 2023 general elections.
Emefiele, who had now withdrawn from the 2023 presidential race, responded by saying “Nigerians should have a heart attack” adding that “he is having a lot of fun over the matter.”
Days after Emefiele’s statement, the PDP slammed the apex bank boss for ridiculing Nigerians and describing his comment as reckless, irresponsible and unpardonable.
In a statement issued on Saturday by its spokesman, Debo Ologunagba, the PDP said the comment made by Emefiele was provocative, daring and an insult to Nigerians’ intelligence.
The opposition party, however, urged the President to take “decisive action” against Emefiele, saying that his comment shows that he is not fit to be in office anymore.
“The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) condemns as reckless, irresponsible and unpardonable, the comment by the governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele, that he is ‘having a lot of fun’ in his actions which are in violation of the CBN Act 2007 and the Public Service Rules.
“This comment by Emefiele who also stated that Nigerians can go ahead and ‘have a heart attack’ over the widespread anxiety in the country arising from his involvement in partisan politics, is provocative and enough to trigger a nation-wide restiveness, pitch Nigerians against the CBN, shut down the economy and destabilize the polity.
“Mr. Emefiele has crossed the red lines; he is provoking and daring Nigerians to do their worse, especially in the face of huge allegations and revelations of massive looting, manipulations and doctoring of the books in the CBN under his watch as recently exposed in a leaked phone conversation and for which he ought to be behind bars.
“The PDP asserts that despite Mr. Emefiele’s alleged withdrawal from the Presidential race due to the pressure by our party, he still cannot continue as CBN Governor having become partisan as a card-carrying member of the All Progressives Congress (APC.
“The CBN which keeps all sensitive materials for elections cannot be trusted with the custody of such materials with a biased Mr. Emefiele at the helm of affairs,” the statement reads.
This article was originally published on Nigeria News