Senate President Godswill Akpabio says the allegations against Godwin Emefiele, former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), are so numerous that the federal government does not know which charges to pin on him.

Akpabio made the remarks on Sunday during a thanksgiving service organised by Barinada Mpigi, senator representing Rivers south-east senatorial district.

The number three citizen also blamed the economic hardship sweeping through the land on the policies and actions that “they took”.

He did not specify who “they” entails.

Akpabio further said the prevailing hunger and economic hardship are consequences of almost 60 years of rot.

He appealed to Nigerians to be patient, while promising that the current administration will deliver on the promises they “campaigned and danced” around the country for.

“So the kind of debt and the economic mess that we are in… and lots of people do not understand,” Akpabio said.

“I remember President Obama saying you cannot know Washington until you get to Washington. So by the time we went in to look at the economic situation of the country, it was terrible.

“So you know that the former governor of central bank, we don’t even know what to charge him with.

“Whether to charge him for putting foam on top of a pail, or to charge him for illegal possession of firearms, or to charge him for printing notes without income. I don’t know what we’re going to charge him with.

“But what we know is that yes, there is hunger today because of the kind of policies and actions that they took and we recognise that, and I think every political party should recognise that there is hunger and we’re battling to ensure that Nigerians can sleep with their eyes closed.

“There is insecurity. We’re battling to ensure Nigerians can eat three square meals a day.

“But rest assured that we campaigned for this job, we campaigned and danced around the country. We will not let you down.

“We will get to the bottom of it. All we need is patience. The rot that has happened in Nigeria for so many years, for almost 60 years, cannot be solved in six months. So what we need is patience… patience from all quarters.”

The event, which took place in Koroma, Tai LGA of Rivers, was also attended by Dave Umahi, minister of works; Martin Amaewhule, speaker of the Rivers house of assembly; and other dignitaries.

BACKGROUND

Emefiele was suspended on June 9, 2023, by President Bola Tinubu, who also ordered a probe into his tenure as governor of the apex bank.

He was subsequently arrested by the Department of State Services (DSS) and on July 25, he was arraigned on a two-count charge bordering on “illegal possession” of firearms, at a federal high court in Ikoyi.

He was later granted bail in the sum of N20 million. However, he was rearrested by the DSS on the court premises on the same day.

In August, the court struck out the suit after the federal government filed an application to withdraw the charge of “illegal possession of firearms” against him.

A fresh 20-count charge was then filed before the federal capital territory (FCT) high court by the federal ministry of justice.

He was subsequently arraigned at the FCT high court in Abuja, on a six-count charge bordering on procurement fraud, and remanded at the Kuje correctional facility.

On November 8, Emefiele was granted bail and released, after spending 151 days in detention.

On January 18, the federal government amended the criminal charges filed against him.

The charges, formerly six counts, were increased to 20 counts.

The amended charges border on alleged breach of trust, forgery, conspiracy to commit forgery, procurement fraud and conspiracy to commit a felony.

The suspended National Treasurer of the Labour Party, Ms Oluchi Oparah, has challenged the party’s National Chairman, Julius Abure, to give an account of the donations received from Nigerians in the Diaspora during the campaign tour of LP presidential candidate, Peter Obi, in the United States.

The PUNCH reported that the national leadership of the Labour Party sent Opara on a six-month suspension last week, following her claim that Abure diverted N3.5bn allegedly raised from the sale of nomination forms and fundraising activities in the build-up to the 2023 general election.

But Abure maintained that there was no N3.5bn raised, saying: “Total summary of the money that entered into the party was N1.3bn. We also got N800m for the campaign. I want to challenge her to make the records available where she got the sum of N3.5bn.”

But not backing down on her allegations, Opara, in a telephone interview with our correspondent on Sunday, asked Abure to give an account of the funds raised during the LP presidential campaign tour in the US.

Opara said, “Abure used the name of the party to raise funds during the United States campaign tour. They reflected in all the documents and tickets I printed out. We have the tickets for $500 and $100 in the name of the party. But Abure returned and didn’t drop a dime. We are talking about a man who uses proxy accounts to withdraw money from the party.

“Again, for 10 to 11 months, Abure has been the only one withdrawing the money. I don’t know how he does it, whether by forgery or other means. We are three signatories to the accounts but the third person, a former chairman, is dead now.”

When contacted, Abure denied any wrongdoing, saying Opara was merely out to tarnish his image.

He said, “We made changes to the account. That was how we were able to run the party from January 2021 to March 2021 when we had the NEC meeting in Benin, where I emerged as the national chairman of the party. All the money withdrawn between January and March 2021 was co-signed with the acting national chairman, Maria Lebeke.

“I was the national secretary at the time and there was no way I could have withdrawn from the account or any person could have withdrawn money without the co-signatory. We brought in the new acting chairman who co-signed all the cheques, Opara equally co-signed the cheques. So, changes of signatories were made and we needed to run the party, and a lot of activities of the party at that time were co-signed by Maria Lebeke, and it is obvious.”

The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, on Sunday dismissed calls by the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Governors Forum, for the resignation of President Bola Tinubu over the current economic hardship in the country.

The PDP Governors Forum, in a statement signed by the director-general, Hon. CID Maduabum, on Saturday, had urged Tinubu to resign if he cannot provide sustainable solutions to the country’s problems.

“Hardship and suffering being faced by Nigerians have no tribal, religious or party colouration. A hungry man is an angry man.

“While all tiers of government have a role to play, the APC led Federal Government has a disproportionate role to play in mobilising Nigerians and all organs and tiers of government for sustainable solutions.

“If it can not do so or is unable to do so, it should graciously throw in the towel,” the PDP governors said.

However, replying the PDP governors in a statement by Rabiu Ibrahim, his Special Assistant on Media, the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Idris insisted that Tinubu will not resign.

The statement was titled, ‘Tinubu won’t resign, says minister: PDP Governors, it is time to do the work you were elected for.’

“The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, notes the statement by the PDP Governors Forum, directing a call for resignation at President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR.

“The call is nothing but an attempt at distraction by people who should instead be busy supporting the President’s efforts at bringing economic relief to the Nigerian people.

“It is our considered view that the PDP and its Governors should not be seeking, through the back door of intimidation, what they have consistently failed to achieve by democratic means, since 2015.

“Those who could not bring transformational change when they had a lengthy chance to, should not seek to interrupt or distract those who are busy at work on the presidential vision that Nigerians elected them to implement,” the statement said.

The minister noted that the administration of President Bola Tinubu had, since inception, generously extended financial support to all the State Governments, regardless of partisan affiliation.

“In addition, the removal of the petrol subsidy — which, incidentally, was one of the main planks of the PDP presidential campaign — has swelled the revenues of all States, including the PDP States. To whom more has been given, more is therefore expected,” the minister added.

Continuing, the minister said, “The President and his administration recognise the unfinished business of revamping our national economy kick-started by the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari, through programmes focused on large-scale infrastructure, social welfare, prioritizing the equipping and welfare of the military and security agencies, and reclaiming Nigeria’s strategic place in the comity of nations.

“Boko Haram and its affiliates, on the ascendancy in 2014/2015, have since been decimated, and similar bold gains are now being made with bandits and other criminals.”

Idris further noted that Nigerians have not forgotten that it was the APC administration that cleared several liabilities left behind by the PDP government, such as subsidy claims by oil marketers, Paris Club Refunds, unpaid pensions, gratuities, and salary arrears owed various categories of pensioners from liquidated and existing State-Owned Enterprises.

“Major oil sector reforms that the PDP touted for years but could not deliver – passage of the PIB, new refineries, as well as the revamp of existing ones, and so on – are the very real and continuing legacies of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

“All of these have been accomplished without access to the oil windfall that the PDP government enjoyed for much of the time that it was in power, and also against the backdrop of the most devastating global shock since the Second World War: the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We must continue to state these facts so Nigerians will know where we are coming from, and appreciate what is being done in its full context.”

The minister stressed that “President Tinubu is not and will never be overwhelmed by the current challenges the country is facing”.

“He (Tinubu) will not abdicate his responsibilities. He will courageously continue to wrestle with the challenges and surmount them, laying a durable foundation for the new Nigeria that is emerging.

“He has also never shied away from acknowledging the pain of ongoing reforms, and has seized every opportunity to assure Nigerians that inside the pain of the reforms lie the seeds of lasting prosperity and national development.

“To the PDP Governors, let us reiterate: This is not the time for distraction. It is time instead for the rolling up of sleeves, to support and complement the hard work of the President and his administration.”

A former Edo State Commissioner for Communication and Orientation, Andrew Emwanta, has resigned from the All Progressives Congress.

The former commissioner said he was resigning because of the flawed governorship primaries which took place on Saturday.

The election produced three winners. The Chairman of the Electoral Committee of the primary, Governor Hope Uzodimma announced Dennis Idahosa as the winner, while returning officer, Stanley Ugboaja declared Monday Okpebholo as winner.

Also, Ojo Babatunde, who claimed to be representing the returning officers in all the local government declared Anamero Dekeri as the winner of the election.

In a letter to the Ward Chairman, Ward 7, Egor Local Government Area and made available to journalists on Monday, Emwanta said, “I am writing to formally tender my resignation from the membership of the All Progressives Congress, effective from today, the 18th day of February 2024.

“My decision to resign from the party stems from its lack of internal democracy, flowing from the flawed process of the just concluded Edo governorship primaries. It has left me with no confidence in the party’s leadership structure and sense of political ethos.

“It is indeed a sad decision for me to take at this crucial time, particularly, because l joined the party a few months ago. But, it is an inevitable decision, since l still enjoy the inalienable right to freedom of association, (or dissociation), guaranteed under Section 40 of the 1999 Nigerian Constitution, as amended.

“I believe that my continued association with the APC would compromise my ability to support any decent candidate of my choice, as I would be compelled to unwittingly align with the party’s decisions, regardless of my convictions. To do otherwise will be termed “anti-party”. This was my grouse last year with my former party, the PDP.

“Moving forward, l wish to be an “Independent” political player, who can freely support any candidate in future elections, based on their qualifications, integrity, and alignment with my values and beliefs. I am confident that this decision is in the best interest of my life’s philosophy, social orientation and the political principles I hold very dear.

“Please consider this letter as my formal resignation from the APC. I would appreciate it if you could delete my name from your register at the ward, as l move on. Thank you for your understanding and anticipated action,” he added.