On Wednesday, May 4, 2022, a curious photograph captioned ‘Buhari Receives CBN Governor’ appeared on the front page of Vanguard newspaper.

In the photograph, an excited President Muhammadu Buhari was in a handshake with the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele, while Vice President Yemi Osinbajo also looked on.

Credited to the State House, the photo which showed the three leaders in a very relaxed mood and was said to have been taken during Emefiele’s Sallah homage to Buhari.

While a photograph of the president and any member of his team should be routine practice, the context and air around that particular photograph definitely raises inquisitiveness.

Recall that in January, Buhari was asked if he had a favourite candidate within the APC to succeed him. The president hinted that he had a favourite, but that he would not mention his name because such a person “may be eliminated”.

Also recall that Emefiele said in February, through ‘Friends of Godwin Emefiele’, that it is the prerogative of Buhari to plan his succession in line with global best practices for good governance for the continuing peace and progress of the country.

Although Emefiele has not declared to run for president in 2023 and has said on several occasions that he was focused on his job, his name continues to be mentioned in the same breath with the 2023 presidential election.

No doubt, Emefiele enjoys a sort of preferential attention from Buhari and his loyalty to his boss’ administration has never been in question.

Could he be the one?