Abbas Masanawa, The MINT MD, joins Katsina guber race

Abbas Masanawa, managing director of the Nigeria Security Printing and Minting Company (NSPMC), has obtained the governorship expression of interest and nomination forms of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Masanawa, who is reportedly seeking to contest the governorship of Katsina, bought the forms in Abuja on Wednesday.

NSPMC, also referred to as The MINT, was established in 1963 and it is a subsidiary of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), involved in the production of currency notes and coins, as well as a wide range of security documents for the government, commercial banks, blue-chip companies, among others.

In 2018, President Muhammadu Buhari appointed Masanawa as the managing director of the NSPMC.

Prior to the appointment, Masanawa was the executive director in charge of finance and strategy of the same company, before he was recommended to head the company by Godwin Emefiele, CBN governor.

The NSPMC boss, who has been in the banking industry for years, rose to the position of deputy general manager in Zenith Bank, and he has also served as a special assistant to Godwin Emefiele, governor of the Central Bank.

The development comes amid the controversy over section 84(12) of the electoral act which bars political appointees from participating in party primaries.

Also, on Wednesday, President Muhammadu Buhari asked ministers in his cabinet, who are interested in seeking elective offices, to resign their positions on or before May 16.