Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele, has described as “false and malicious” reports that he introduced the naira redesign policy as a plot against Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the president-elect.
According to the allegations filtering the media, Emefiele plotted with a “billionaire retired general” from the north and provided funds to Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivor, the governorship candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in Lagos state, to enable him defeat Babajide Sanwo-Olu, the incumbent.
But in a statement issued on Monday, Isa Abdulmumin, CBN’s acting director of corporate communications, said Emefiele “does not take part in politics.”
Abdulmumin said,
“The attention of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has been drawn to a story alleging that the Governor, Mr Godwin Emefiele has launched a ‘fresh plot against President-elect’. The aforementioned story went further to allege that the Governor has made certain amount of money available to a political aspirant ahead of March 18, 2023 gubernatorial poll.”
He added,
“We wish to inform members of the public that this story is completely false and malicious as the Governor does not know and has never met or even spoke with Mr Gbadebo Rhodes Vivour either in person or through proxy.
“We wish to reiterate that the CBN Governor does not take part in Politics and therefore urge anyone with contrary information to prove the Governor wrong should provide such facts.
“As such the Governor and team at the CBN should be allowed to focus on their assigned job with a view to achieving statutory mandates of the Bank.”