EXCLUSIVE: President Tinubu to withdraw Ruby Onwudiwe’s nomination as CBN Board member
President Bola Tinubu has stepped down the nomination of Dr. Ruby Onwudiwe as a member of the Board of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
The President via a letter to the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio which was read on the floor of the Upper Chamber of the National Assembly requested her confirmation as the representative of the South East on the board of the apex bank.
Immediately after the news of her nomination, screenshot of her social media surfaced where she flaunted her support for Labour Party (LP) and its Presidential candidate, Peter Obi in last election and a display of the result of the presidential election at a polling unit in Lekki part of Lagos where the LP candidate won.
The screenshot riled up All Progressives Congress (APC) supporters who protested strongly to senior government officials on the abnormality of the nomination of an opposition figure to serve at the apex bank.
Our correspondent gathered that the protest against her nomination by APC supporters got to President Tinubu late yesterday night through the Senate Majority Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele and Chairman of Appropriation Committee, Olamilekan Solomon Adeola who pointed out the impropriety of the nomination to the President.
Westernpost learnt that President Tinubu immediately requested the Senate to step down the nomination.
A new nominee from the South East with required qualifications and experience will be presented to the Senate for confirmation.
President Tinubu on Wednesday asked the senate to confirm the appointment of Onwudiwe as a South-east nominee for CBN board.
In the letter, the president said the request for confirmation was in compliance with provisions of Section 10 (1) of the CBN Establishment Act 2007.
“I am pleased to present for confirmation by the senate, the appointment of Dr Ruby Onwudiwe as a member of the CBN board of directors,” President Tinubu said.
“The senate is invited to kindly note that Onwudiwe is a replacement for Mr Kalu Eke, due to the unavailability of Eke for the position.
“It is my hope, therefore, that the senate will consider and confirm in its usual expeditious manner, the appointment of Onwudiwe.
“Please accept the assurances of my highest regards.”
The new nomination comes one month after Tinubu asked the senate to confirm five people as directors of the board of the CBN.
The directors of the board are; Robert O. Agbide, Ado Yakubu Wanga, Murtala Sagaley, Urom Eke, and Olayinka Aliyu.
On February 29, the senate confirmed four people as members of the board of the CBN after a nominee from the south-eastern region rejected the offer, citing “conflict of interest”.
