President Muhammadu Buhari was reported to have openly objected to Nigeria Central Bank Governor Godwin Emefiele’s invitation to Jim Ovia, the former Managing Director of Zenith Bank, to his dinner party in Washington DC.
The event was organized for the President by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and The Corporate Council on Africa.
According to reports by SaharaReporters, President Buhari, during his remarks, departed from his prepared text to tell the surprised crowd he was surprised to see Mr. Ovia, and that he thought the CBN Governor had brought him along. He also expressed surprise at the presence of Wale Tinubu, who happens to be a good friend of Buhari’s All Progressives Congress chieftain, Bola Tinubu.
The crowd, which mostly comprised of US businessmen, did not fully understand the heart of Buhari’s position which wasn’t part of his prepared speech for the evening.
It was reported earlier in the day that Buhari warned his aides not to smuggle Nigerian businessmen into his meetings throughout his US visit. As a result of this warning, several businessmen and politicians that came to the US capital in the hope of meeting with Buhari did not openly attend his events.
Also, Tony Elumelu, chairman of the United Bank for Africa, who was at the dinner yesterday, was reportedly allowed to greet Buhari only after the event was over.
Both Elumelu and Ovia were heavy backers of former President Goodluck Jonathan but since Buhari’s victory, these and many other businessmen have been looking for ways to warm themselves into the Buhari fold.
