Former Senate President, Bukola Saraki says the move to remove Godwin Emefiele as Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor is related to the 2023 election.
The ex-Kwara Governor warned security agencies not to allow themselves to be used to scuttle the presidential poll.
The Department of State Services (DSS) accused Emefiele of terrorism financing and economic crimes, a situation that dents the image of the apex bank amid fears of further naira fall.
In a statement on Wednesday, Saraki said as a victim of a similar “politically-motivated accusation”, he noticed some clouds around the DSS court action.
The politician said the case was initiated just over two months to the general elections, after the CBN introduced tough guidelines on the cashless regime and redesigned the naira.
“As somebody who had been wrongly accused of involvement in the Offa robbery by political opportunists, I feel that a similar intrigue is being weaved by those who are bent on sabotaging the 2023 elections.
Saraki observed that the DSS suit at the Federal High Court in Abuja has been described as frivolous and without concrete evidence.
“My position is not to support Emefiele but to support democracy which is being targeted by the plotters.
“With all the due respect that I have for the DSS as a very professional security agency, I still found it very difficult to understand what led to the charges.”
Saraki wondered why the DSS did not provide concrete evidence that will enable the court to take a good decision, giving room room for suspicion and speculations.
He noted that case is being seen as part of “a grand plot by those who want to undermine and sabotage the coming general election because their calculation on vote buying, rigging, and excessive use of money is falling apart”.
The new CBN regulation on a cashless regime is sure to frustrate the partisan fraudsters, the mischievous politicians and unpatriotic elements, the statement added.
Saraki said the same elements attempted to use the National Assembly to tamper with the electoral process by frustrating the electronic transmission of results, Biometric Voters Accreditation System (BVAS), the new guidelines on currency change and cash withdrawal.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain urged security agencies to distance themselves “from the anarchists and anti-democratic elements masquerading as democrats or political players”.