President Muhammadu Buhari has ordered the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele, and other heads of agencies, departments, parastatals, and ambassadors with political ambitions to resign.

The President’s directive was disclosed via a circular signed by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha.

The office of the CBN Governor was among other agencies copied in the circular with reference number SGF/OP/ I/S.3/XII/ 173.

The circular was titled, ‘Ministers, heads of government agencies, ambassadors and other appointees with political ambitions to resign’.

This is coming barely 24 hours after President Buhari directed all cabinet members vying for elective offices in 2023 to resign before May 16, 2023.

The President’s directive was disclosed by the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, while briefing State House correspondents on the outcome of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting on Wednesday.

Mohammed said only Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, who is an elected official, was exempted.

The circular read: “Mr. President has observed and noted the expression of interest and intention by some members of the Federal Executive Council, heads of extra-ministerial departments, agencies, parastatals of government, ambassadors and other political office holders to contest the upcoming presidential, gubernatorial, national and state assemblies’ elections.

“Consequently, Mr. President has directed that the affected office holders aspiring to run for various offices in the 2023 general election, should tender their resignation on or before Monday, the 16th of May, 2022.

“For the avoidance of doubt, this directive affects all ministers, heads and members of extra-ministerial departments, agencies and parastatals of government, ambassadors, as well as other political appointees who desire to contest for elective offices.

“For smooth running of the machinery of government and our foreign missions, affected ministers are to hand over to ministers of state where they exist or to the permanent secretary, where there is no minister of state.

“Ambassadors shall hand over to their deputy heads of mission or the most senior foreign service officer in line with established practices.

“Similarly, heads of extra-ministerial departments, agencies and parastatals are to hand over to the most senior director/officer as may be peculiar to the organisation, in line with the service wide Circular No. SGF.50/S. Il/C.2/268 of 4th December, 2017.

“The contents of this circular and the incidental directives take effect immediately.”

The Star had reported that three interest groups, the Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria (RIFAN), Friends of Emefiele, and Emefiele Support Group, on Friday, obtained the Expression of Interest and Nomination Forms of the APC valued at N100 million for Emefiele to run for the 2023 presidency.

READ ALSO: 2023: Again, PDP calls for resignation, arrest of Emefiele

The purchase of the N100 million APC presidential nomination forms was however greeted with wide condemnations, including the main opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and the Ondo State Governor, Rotimi Akeredolu, who called for the sack of the CBN Governor if he failed to resign.

Governor Akeredolu, who described Emefiele’s interest in the 2023 presidency as “a joke taken too far”, asked President Buhari to sack the CBN Governor if he refused to resign.

In his reaction, Emefiele rejected the APC presidential nominations form bought for him to vie for the presidential ticket of the APC ahead of the 2023 general election.

The CBN Governor, who reacted via a series of tweets on his verified Twitter handle on Saturday, said that, should he decide to contest the 2023 presidential election, he would use his own hard-earned savings from over 35 years of banking leadership to buy his own presidential nomination forms.

He noted that he would make a decision on the calls to contest the next year’s presidential election in a few days, adding that it is a serious decision that requires God’s Divine intervention.

Emefiele, on Monday, filed a suit before a Federal High Court in Abuja over the alleged plan to disqualify him from the 2023 presidential primaries slated for the end of May.

The court, however, declined to restrain the Federal Government from removing Emefiele over his presidential ambition.

The Star