Emefiele’s Presidential Ambition: NBA 1st VP, Aikpokpo Martins and Welfare Secretary, Edun Prays Court To Be Joined To Action

The 1st Vice President of the Nigerian Bar Association, John Aikpokpo-Martins and the National Welfare Secretary, Kunle Edun have filed a motion at the Federal High Court asking the court to stay proceedings of the suit filed by Mr. Godwin Emefiele, the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria.

In the motion filed by the NBA officials for themselves and on behalf of members of the Save Nigeria, Our Father’s Land Group, they are asking the Court to be joined as the 3rd and 4th Defendants in the case.

“The Applicants are Nigerians and members of the SAVE NIGERIA, OUR FATHERLAND and brings this application for themselves, members of the SAVE NIGERIA, OUR FATHERLAND and all well-meaning and democracy loving Nigerians, except those who may be opposed it.

“The Applicants are legal practitioners and also the 1st Vice President and National Welfare Secretary respectively of the Nigerian Bar Association.

“The Applicants, Plaintiff and Respondents are bound by the provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and they have a duty to ensure the observance of the provisions of the Constitution.

“The suit of the Plaintiff raised constitutional questions and the determination of same would radically affect the rights of the Applicants and all whom they represent.

“The Applicants have the right to be governed and to ensure respect and obedience to the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

“The Plaintiff has no locus standing to file this suit considering the provisions of the errant Central Bank of Nigeria Act and other enabling Acts and the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

“The named Applicants are tax payers.” The grounds for the application read.

In the affidavit filed by them they stated that the interest of the general public would be affected by the decision that the Court will make in the case and that the case is one that all Nigerians are interested in. They also contended that the Defendants would not be able to sufficiently defend the public interest.

The affidavit reads in part, “That the Plaintiff in this suit is a pubic officer/appointee being the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria.

“That the plaintiff’s employment is governed by the provisions of the extant Central Bank of Nigeria Act.

“That the Plaintiff’s salaries, allowances and benefits are paid by Nigerian tax payers and he is required to spend all his official time and privileges for the job he was appointed to perform.

“That the Plaintiff’s desire to join partisan politics is in flagrant violation of the provisions of the Constitution of the Federal of Nigeria, the Electoral Act and the CBN Act.

“That the extant suit is an aberration to commonsense, public policy and good governance.

“The plaintiff is the most important public officer charged with the wellbeing of the Naira, the official currency and the largest single denominator of the economy of the country.

“That it is a notorious fact that the value of the Naira has been on a nose-dive under the full watch of the Plaintiff resulting Into a shrunk and still shrinking economy thereby subjecting Nigerians including the Applicants into economic suffocating and near strangulation.

“If the Plaintiff without resigning from his office goes into full time politicking, he will abandon his office and consequent upon that, the Naira which has been on steady decline under his full watch will inevitably collapsed under his abandonment. This collapse of the Naira, nay the economy will subject the Applicant to suffer severe extreme suffering.

“That should this suit proceed without the Applicants we may eventually be held bound by the Judgment of this Honorable Court.

“That our rights to be governed by due process and the extant provisions of the CBN Act and other enabling laws would be affected, and this will create an environment of impunity in Nigeria.

“That this application is a public interest application, and as members of the Nigerian public, our interest would be affected if it is not granted.

“That this Honorable court abhors multiplicity of suits, hence the compelling need for the grant of this application.”

The motion has been served on the Chambers of Chief Mike Ozekhome, SAN counsel to Godwin Emefiele. The case comes up tomorrow.