Diaspora for Emefiele Limited was registered under Standard Industrial Classification, which accommodates activities of extraterritorial organisations and bodies in Britain.
An entity has been registered in London to push Godwin Emefiele as the next president of Nigeria, marking another first in a string of breakaways from long-held customs of public accountability under Muhammadu Buhari.
Checks by Peoples Gazette showed Diaspora for Emefiele Limited was registered on March 29, 2022, under approval number 14010119, code 99000 of Standard Industrial Classification (SIC), which accommodates activities of extraterritorial organisations and bodies in Britain.
The campaign organisation was registered by Mr Emefiele’s ally Martins Abhulimhen.
Despite Mr Emefiele’s campaign posters and paraphernalia flooding the national convention venue of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in March, the governor has yet to officially declare his intention to contest the presidency. Earlier this month, his campaign vehicles were cited by reporters.
According to the sources close to Mr Emefiele, supporters deemed him capable of breaking the so-called jinx of ethnic Igbo’s inability to produce a president since the Civil War, especially since civil rule was reinstated in 1999, which had seen the two other main ethinic groups produce three presidents, Hausa-Fulani, two; and Yoruba, one.
Mr Emefiele’s potent but undeclared move has elicited outrage from opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), which warned of gross economic sabotage being inflicted on the country and demanded the governor’s immediate resignation.
Mr Emefiele’s supporters said the PDP’s clamour was misplaced as the governor hasn’t been the only serving official eyeing the presidency. Last week, Rotimi Amaechi declared announced his presidential run and has yet to resign as transport minister in Mr Buhari’s cabinet, but the CBN governor is a tenured financial sector regulator and not a cabinet position.
Whereas the Constitution doesn’t impose an outright ban on CBN governor’s involvement in politicos, previous administrations before Mr Buhari had made efforts to publicly isolate Nigeria’s central bank system from partisan showmanship in line with global models.
Since Mr Buhari has shown no willingness to demand Mr Emefiele’s resignation, political analysts said the CBN governor is all but set to challenge other politicians like Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, Bola Tinubu, Mr Amaechi and Orji Uzor Kalu for the ruling APC ticket when he eventually declares his aspiration.
When reached by The Gazette for comments, CBN spokesman Osita Nwasinobi described the development as “fake news”.
“Not true, please,” he said via text.
Presidential spokesman Garba Shehu did not respond to The Gazette’s request for comment on this story.
