NIGERIA’S central bank governor ended his bid to become the country’s next president after his highly visible foray into party politics.
Godwin Emefiele missed deadlines set by the ruling All Progressives Congress and President Muhammadu Buhari to formalise his candidacy and resign from the central bank. By remaining in the post beyond May 16, the 60-year-old effectively abandoned his short-lived campaign for the highest office in Africa’s largest economy.
Emefiele sparked a backlash when his lawyers asked a federal court in the capital, Abuja, on May 5 for a ruling permitting the governor to remain at the head of the central bank while competing in the APC’s upcoming presidential primaries. Party spokesman Joseph Morka said Emefiele did not submit his candidacy forms by a May 13 deadline.
The governor at no point involved himself in “partisan politics,” Osita Nwanisobi, the central bank’s spokesman, said by text message. Emefiele said on
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