There are many ways that political candidates emerge before elections in Nigeria.
It is impossible to cover them all but the most common is when they open their mouth and just say they are interested.
Some others, who are a bit more dramatic, set up groups to beg them publicly to run for office. The groups sometimes even threaten to sue the aspirant if they fail to run, just to spice things up.
And then there are those who announce publicly that they are still waiting for a sign from God.
One of those people is the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele.
Meffy’s name popped up in the running for the 2023 presidential election last week when a group called on him to contest.
The Green Alliance (TGA), surprisingly not environmental activists, anointed our very own Meffy as the man for the job.
Why?
Convener of the group, Wale Fapohunda, told journalists in Lagos that Emefiele has navigated Nigeria through economic hurdles and come out on top.
He is considered the perfect fit for president because he has supported job creation and fostered inclusive growth in Nigeria.
Also, let us not forget that he is a ‘detribalised’ Nigerian, the magic touch for anyone thinking about becoming president.
TGA also said Nigerians need to move away from career politicians and run into the loving arms of a technocrat that has built a resilient financial system for Nigeria.
Never mind that our financial system is as resilient as a blown-up balloon
It is easy to forget that this is the same man under whose economic direction the country has endured a messy foreign exchange situation, two biting recessions, and record inflation and unemployment rates.
What does Godwin Emefiele want?
Typically, this is the point where the proposed aspirant publicly addresses the call for them to run.
But in Meffy’s case, we have to go through another group.
The Friends of Godwin Emefiele group met with him this week to address the rumour of his run because that is what good friends do.
Meffy apparently talked about how has never asked or lobbied for a job before in his life.
He just went with the tide and ended up in top positions in the banking industry until he arrived at the CBN in 2014, all without lobbying.
The gist of the meeting is the man himself said he is focused on his CBN job, and refused to address his intention to run or not.
He has decided to leave his fate ‘firmly in the hands of God’ because that is the only person that anoints leaders.
What is funny here is if Meffy eventually decides to run based on God’s word, he would have to go head-to-head against another aspirant already promised by God.
After the meeting, the Friends of Godwin Emefiele group published this:
Achoo
We do not know who is afraid of Godwin Emefiele, but we know it is not double-digit inflation, or the naira-dollar exchange rate.
