By Our Reporters
The discredited Governor of Central Bank, Godwin Emefiele, is playing his “last card” in the closing chapter of the high-stake power-play that has embroiled Nigeria in the past six months.
Determined to influence the outcome of the March 18 Lagos governorship polls against ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), the apex banker has handed a whopping N500m in new bank notes to the candidate of Labour Party, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour (GRV), it was gathered at the weekend.
Lagos is Nigeria’s economic nerve-centre and the putative stronghold of the President-elect, Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Labour Party had secured an upset against APC in the February 25 presidential polls in Lagos as its candidate, Peter Obi, scored 582,454 votes, narrowly defeating APC’s Bola Ahmed Tinubu who got 577,606.
The N500m windfall, which was mobilised through Emefiele’s agents in Lagos, was described as “Oga’s own contribution to the take over Lagos from Tinubu’s influence now that he has won the presidency in Abuja”.
The cash bonanza is intended to put GRV at advantage over two other major contestants, incumbent Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of APC and PDP’s Olajide Adeniran (Jandor) whose campaign and mobilisation have been seriously affected by the cash squeeze caused by Emefiele’s Naira redesign.
Besides, Emefiele, who hails from Igbo-speaking part of Delta State, is said to be an enthusiastic promoter of the “Igbo agenda” to install “our own in Alausa come May 29”.
To perfect the plot, the cooperation of the General Officer Commanding Officer (GOC) of an elite army division located on Victoria Island, who is of Igbo extraction (name withheld), is also said to have been secured by Emefiele through cash inducement. He is expected to provide “military muscle” to the “Igbo agenda” to take over Lagos. He was said to have similarly played a “spoiler role“ on February 25 by deliberately deploying troops of Igbo extraction to provide “cover” for the massive rigging in Ajah, Lekki areas in favour of LP’s Peter Obi.
The serving Major General also provided “cover” for the massive rigging reported in Amuwo-Odofin, Ojo, Alaba and Iba areas. For instance, troops at his behest reportedly “detained” the Oniba of Ibala-land in his palace literally, ostensibly to “prevent him from being able able to mobilise his people to vote Tinubu”. Troops similarly invaded the palace of Elegushi in Ikate land and openly brutalised APC supporters in viral videos. Oba Saheed Elegushi is known to be a staunch Tinubu supporter.
Emefiele, whose controversial Naira redesign policy is widely believed to have specifically targeted Asiwaju Bola Tinubu ahead of the presidential polls, is highly unfavored to continue in office after President Muhammadu Buhari bows out on May 29.
Incidentally, Emefiele had mounted a multi-billionaire bid for the APC presidential ticket last year in flagrant breach of the provisions of the CBN Act forbidding political partisanship. Before he eventually chickened out of the race in May 2022, the CBN governor, according an affidavit deposed to by DSS, had allegedly been involved in “terror financing” by reportedly passing hefty sums of money to a network of criminal gangs and elements to help in the realisation of his presidential ambition.
Emefiele’s latest secret cash largesse to GRV is coming when the generality of Nigerians are groaning under acute cash scarcity as they daily languish in endless queues at banking halls and ATM centres across the country without being able to access their savings despite a Supreme Court order on March 3 mandating the revalidation of N200, N500 and N1,000 notes till December 31, 2023.
Aside Emefiele’s N500m cash, GRV also reportedly received another $2m cash from a famous retired billionaire general, who hails from North-central and had openly endorsed Peter Obi on the understanding that he would “protect my business” interest particularly in the oil and gas sector, is said to have fallen into depression on March 1 following the announcement of Tinubu by INEC as the President-Elect.
The provision of dollars for GRV is to match APC candidate in the Lagos polls “dollars for dollars”.
The billionaire general is widely known to be among the “group of 5 generals” who had done everything possible in cahoots with the “Abuja cabal” and other “owners of Nigeria” to stall the declaration of the results when it became clear that Tinubu was heading for clear victory.
His latest “investment” in GRV is said to be an “emotional last dice” geared towards preserving his “mental health” being a Lagos resident who just completed a new wondrous home worth over $25m in the upscale Banana Island.
