Emefiele: Buhari's signature forged in $6.23m CBN withdrawal, Mustapha testifies

Former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Boss Mustapha, testified on Tuesday, February 13, 2024, alleging that the signatures of both himself and former President Muhammadu Buhari were forged in the withdrawal of $6.23 million from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) shortly before the 2023 presidential election.

Mustapha made these claims during the trial of former CBN governor Godwin Emefiele.

During his testimony, Mustapha asserted that he had no knowledge of the funds reportedly withdrawn for the payment of foreign election observers and claimed that his signature was used without his consent.

He explained that neither the federal government nor the office of the SGF had the authority to request funds from the CBN for the payment of election observers, as this fell within the purview of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Mustapha further implicated the former CBN governor, Godwin Emefiele, alleging that the withdrawals were made following approvals by President Buhari and Emefiele, based on a request purportedly made by the SGF's office.

However, he denied any involvement in or knowledge of the transactions, asserting that it was not within his jurisdiction to handle such matters.

The testimony comes in the wake of revelations by a CBN official, Michael Onyeka Ogbu, who informed a High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) that the funds were disbursed in cash to an official from the SGF's office named Jibril Abubakar.

Ogbu stated that the withdrawals were made following approvals from President Buhari and Emefiele, per a request purportedly made by the SGF's office.