President Bola Tinubu is reportedly set to retract the nomination of Ruby Onwudiwe as a Board member of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
This decision comes in the wake of mounting pressure from senior members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) regarding Onwudiwe’s political affiliations.
According to reports by Western Post, the protest against Onwudiwe’s nomination stemmed from her public support for Peter Obi, the 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP).
Onwudiwe’s social media post, celebrating the victory of the Labour Party at her polling unit, allegedly exacerbated the situation, leading to widespread discontent among APC supporters.
A post via her X account reads “It was a landslide victory for Labour Party at my polling unit Lekki polling unit” was said to have incited the APC supporters who protested the nomination by Tinubu after meeting with the Senate leadership on Tuesday at the State House in Abuja.
The dissatisfaction with Onwudiwe’s nomination prompted APC members to express their concerns to senior government officials, highlighting the perceived anomaly of appointing an individual affiliated with the opposition party to a crucial position within the apex bank.
Recall that on March 14, Tinubu asked the Senate to confirm the appointment of Onwudiwe as a member of the board of directors of the CBN.
Tinubu’s request was contained in a letter addressed to Senate President Godswill Akpiabio, and read at the plenary on Wednesday, March 13.
Onwudiwe was nominated as a replacement for Urom Kalu Eke, who declined the nomination citing conflict of interest due to his consultancy role at the World Bank.
Tinubu’s nomination of Onwudiwe came on the heels of his earlier request to the Senate to confirm four other individuals as directors of the CBN board.
The confirmation of Robert O. Agbide, Ado Yakubu Wanga, Murtala Sagaley, and Olayinka Aliyu as directors of the CBN board proceeded smoothly, while Onwudiwe’s nomination has encountered resistance due to her perceived political leanings.
