May 06, (THEWILL) – A coalition of farmers and other support groups have raised N100m and purchased the presidential expression of interest and nomination forms of the All Progressives Congress, APC, for the Central Bank Governor, Mr Godwin Emefiele ahead of 2023 general elections.
They said the decision was reached having realized that the CBN governor is one of the trusted and tested Nigerians that have the commitment and competence to protect the interests of farmers across the country and give priority to commodity and agricultural value chain.
The coalition of farmers, Emefiele Support Group and other groups have been campaigning and urging the methodical central banker to formally join the race for months.
ALSO READ: In Game Changer, Group Obtains APC Presidential Forms For CBN Governor Emefiele
However, authoritative sources close to Emefiele told THEWILL Friday afternoon that he has not accepted the forms.
The leaders of the commodity associations arrived at this decision on Wednesday at the end of a two-day intensive meeting in Maitama, Abuja, that drew more than 30 commodity associations from 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
One of the conveners of the meeting, Malam Ibrahim Garba told this newspaper that the meeting was convened to articulate the position of the commodity associations who are the biggest stakeholders in the country ahead of the 2023 general elections.
He said the robust national security the country needs now can only be achieved through food security. “Agriculture is the key to achieving national security. Through agriculture, millions of Nigerians are economically empowered and gainfully engaged, our industries are revived, a multifaceted value chain ecosystem created, and food security is ensured,” he said.
The commodity associations leaders said in the last seven years, Nigeria has carved a niche for itself as a country that has achieved self-sufficiency in food production. “Despite the Covid-19 pandemic, Nigerians were never short of food. We were never hungry even when every country in the world shut its borders for nearly a year.
“Only God knows what would have happened if we were importing the food we eat. There would have been war. But that was averted due to the resilience of Nigerian farmers and commitment to agriculture by the President Muhammadu Buhari administration,” one of the leaders from the Southeast, Chief Madu Ndubuisi, said.
It was to sustain this unprecedented agricultural feat that the representatives of farmers and their leaders across the commodities converged in Abuja for two days and decided to raise N100 million to acquire an APC form for Emefiele who is the driver of the Buhari agricultural revolution.
THEWILL gathered that the farmers divided themselves into six zones, with each zone raising at least N20 million. “We have decided that every farmer in the country would donate a minimum of N200 for this cause. We have set the ball rolling. We are not leaving any stone unturned,” Alhaji Mudi Ila, another commodity association leader from Jigawa State, told this newspaper.
The APC has set Wednesday, 11th May 2022 as the last day for the submission of completed forms by aspirants.
About the Author
