CENTUS NWEZE REPORTINGÂ
Reports from presidency and corroborated by sources within Abuja’s intelligence community suggests that two vice presidential candidates ahead 2023 may have been placed under watch over alleged attampts at securing huge cash deposits of newly redesigned naira notes expressly to prosecute the elections next year.
The running mates, Kashim Shettima, vice presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, and Dr Ifeanyi Okowa, of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, as gathered, were reported to the presidency by, Godwin Emefiele, the Central Bank Governor, CBN, after it was learnt that large cache of the new notes may have been hijacked by politicians.
“It was Shettima’s actions that gave away the currency racket,” explained a source from the presidency to Truth Live News, exclusively.
According to the source who spoke under utmost secracy, Emefiele had reportedly told the president of this incident after he was asked to appraise President Mohammadu Buhari of reasons why there were still paucity of the new notes in circulation.
“Emefiele had then told the president that Shettima and some politicians were leveraging on their connections with bank CEOs to corner currencies meant for circulation in the economy,” narrated the newspaper source.
As narration went further, Shettima, a former banker with leading commercial bank in the country had reached out to his old contacts in the bank and elsewhere asking to exchange old naira notes with new redesigned notes at homongous commission for the banks.
“Don’t forget that reports of those three bullion vans leaving Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Boudillion home in Lagos home has not been settled,” the source further exposed.
During 2019 general election, the bullion vans were seen, videoed and captured leaving Tinubu’s home giving fuel to speculations at the time that the money was used for voters inducement and compromise of election officials in Lagos.
The matter has continued to trend with the only explanation from Tinubu, himself, on news insisting that the money is his.
Possibility of having the new notes hijacked and warehoused like most of Nigerias old Naira notes proved sufficiently worrisome for CBN and the presidency.
Shettima, as learnt denied making any such move.
“He deflected the allegation by stating that he isn’t the only candidate with connections that could get the new notes via the backdoor.
He named Okowa, Delta State governor, as one who could also get the currency because Emefiele Hales from the same state and locality of the governor and the bank owner where he once worked as banker.
It was however not established if indeed the said new naira notes were delivered to either of the running mates.
What the online newspaper has been able to learn further is that the presidency may have ordered that both men, Shettima, Okowa and the bank (name withheld) be placed on watch.