As Withdrawal Of Ruby Onwudiwe’s Nomination For CBN’s Board Evokes Stalemate Comments On X -By Isaac Asabor

Just as it is no more news that President Bola Tinubu recently asked the senate to confirm the appointment of Ruby Onwudiwe as a member of the board of directors of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), it is surprising news that he has stepped down her nomination as a member of the apex bank.

It will be recalled that the president’s request for her nomination was contained in a letter addressed to Senate President Godswill Akpiabio, and read at plenary on Wednesday in Abuja.

In the letter, according to a NAN, the president said the confirmation request complied 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,” 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 a “conflict of interest”.

However, it was gathered that immediately after the news of her nomination was public, a screenshot of her social media surfaced where she flaunted her support for the Labour Party (LP) and its Presidential candidate, Peter Obi in the 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.

Not only that, the news has evoked stalemate comments on X, former Twitter. It is very hard to tell which side is winning.

No Nigerian is praying for the failure of the apex bank, and the federal government. It is the most important point to keep in mind as one follows the comments being made in reaction to the withdrawal of Onwudiwe’s nomination on the board of the apex bank.

According to Journalist KC whose X handle is @kc_journalist in a post he rated to be breaking news in the wee hour of today, March 14, 2024, “President Tinubu withdraws Ruby Onwudiwe’s nomination as CBN Board member after receiving complaints from top APC members over Ruby’s support for Peter Obi in the 2023 presidential election, per WesternPost

“Senator Opeyemi Bamidele and Senator Solomon Adeola pointed out the impropriety of the nomination to President Tinubu last night during his meeting with Senate President Akpabio and other senators.

“Some top APC supporters had earlier protested strongly to senior government officials on the abnormality of the nomination of an opposition figure to serve at the apex bank after the news of her nomination.

“Tinubu is now expected to announce a new nominee from the South East”.

In his reaction to the post on X, Olumide Adesina@olumidecapital commented, “This is highly unfortunate, to say the least, such a position should be based on merit and not by political affiliation”

In a different comment, Adesina reacted, “The President is the leader of the country not just a ruling party. The financial industry should be handled with professionalism”

Another commentator on the popular social media platform, Ola’Lekan @theolamilekan commented, “She’s not the only person that can merit that position from SE. She will leak confidential documents if she’s hired. She’s Obidient blood and she doesn’t hide it. More so, election has consequences and this is one of them.”

However, while this writer is opposed to patronage appointment which is unarguably becoming the hallmark of the ongoing Tinubu-led government, it is salient to recall that a contest for superiority between patronage and merit has been an unresolved issue since 1999 when Nigeria transitioned to a democratic system of government.

Without any iota of exaggeration, this battle for supremacy arises from the fact that political connectedness, ethnic fantasy, religious identity, party affiliation, and other primordial considerations have become dominant criteria in determining who should be given political appointments in every passing political dispensation.

In many nations, the head of state is nonpartisan, even if the prime minister and parliament are chosen in partisan elections. Such heads of state are expected to remain neutral with regard to partisan politics. In a number of parliamentary or semi-presidential countries, some presidents are non-partisan or receive cross-party support.

At this juncture, it is germane to remind Nigerians affiliated with the All-Progressives Congress (APC) that since 1999 when Nigeria transitioned to a democratic system of government that political mobilisation and affiliation have revolved around ethnicity in Nigerian elections, meaning that governance, resource allocation, and political appointments have been skewed to favor the people who belong to the leader of the ruling party, those who support the party, or those whom he wants to get support from.

From the onset, being in government has been viewed as an opportunity to empower one’s people over others with devastating consequences. In my view, given the parlous state of the economy at the moment, there is an urgent need to eschew patronage appointments and tap from the pool of human resources that can equally be found in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Labour Party (LP) and other political parties as all the talents Tinubu needs to succeed cannot be exclusively be found in the APC.