Former Zamfara Governor, Senator Ahmed Sanni Yerima and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Godwin Emefiele have joined the 2023 presidential race.
Yerima and Emefiele who are vying under All Progressives Congress (APC) have paid N100 million each for the nomination forms and expression of interest.
Senator Yerima, who spoke to State House Correspondents after his meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari, said he would be focusing on three critical areas of needs, including insecurity, poverty and ignorance.
The Senator caught national attention when he introduced the Shari’a legal code in running Zamfara as Governor.
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He also said he would be picking the APC nomination and expression of interest forms immediately
“I’m here this afternoon to inform Mr. President of my intention to participate in the 2023 elections and to contest the office of the president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. I’m going to, insha Allah, purchase my forms today and officially declare this afternoon.
“So, I have three points as well; to fight insecurity, fight poverty, and ignorance,” he said.
The former Zamafara Governor introduced the Shariah Code first in Zamfara State and across States in the Northern part of the Country.
He was governor from 1999 to 2007 after which he handed over to mahmud Aliyu Shinkafi.
His decision to introduce Shariah law then was referred to derisively by former President Olusegun Obasanjo as Political Shariah and led to major crisis of confidence in the polity with several communal clashes following on from the implementation of the Code.
Mallam Bello Jangebe was the first victim of the Shariah code after his hand was cut off following his conviction for stealing a cow.
Moreover, the Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele, has thrown his hat into the presidential ring.
Emefiele picked the N100 million forms from the party’s organising secretary at the International Conference Centre (ICC) in Abuja, on Friday morning.
This puts to rest the speculations on his interest in succeeding President Muhammadu Buhari.
In 2014, former President Goodluck Jonathan appointed Emefiele, hours after suspending his predecessor, Sanusi Lamido.
In 2019, the former Managing Director of Zenith Bank made history as the first CBN governor to be reappointed.
President Muhammadu Buhari had renewed his five-year tenure.
In February when a ‘group of his friends’, tagged ‘Friends of Godwin Emefiele’, visited him to discuss the controversy over his presidential ambition in 2023, Emefiele had said it was in the hands of God.
“Given that it’s God that anoints leaders, he will leave his faith (sic) firmly in the hands of God,” he was quoted to have said.
Emefiele is now up against Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo; Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu; Governors Yahaya Bello (Kogi), Dave Umahi (Ebonyi), Mohammed Badaru (Jigawa) and at least five ministers for the APC presidential ticket.
