Senate Majority Chief Whip, Ali Ndume, has said President Bola Tinubu is being egged on by “political cartels” and “Lagos boys” to relocate some departments in the Central Bank of Nigeria from Abuja to Lagos.

He, however, expressed certainty that the President would soon rescind the decision.

Speaking on Channels TV on Tuesday, Mr Ndume said it was puzzling that after decades of operating in Abuja, the apex bank would suddenly realise that some departments needed to be moved to Lagos State considered the nation’s “commercial capital.”

He said such decision overlooked the fact that regulators of financial institutions were domiciled in Abuja.

“The regulators of the financial institutions are in Abuja. You want to move because you say Lagos is the commercial capital,” Mr Ndume said during the interview.

“This is one of the mistakes and I am sure Mr President will reverse it because it does not work,” he noted.

The lawmaker said “Lagos boys” were deliberately misleading the President into making wrong decisions that would have political repercussions for the entire country.

“All these Lagos boys who are thinking that Lagos is Nigeria are just misinforming and advising the President wrongly,” Mr Ndume stated.

“Those political cartels that are in the corridors of power are trying to misinform the President and we will tell the President. The President will take action,” the lawmaker said.

He stressed that Mr Tinubu, though a Lagos indigene, is a nationalist and would reassess the matter to reverse the relocation.

He stated, “I am very sure that Mr President will look at this. He is a nationalist and not just a Lagos boy.”

The affected CBN departments include Other Financial Institutions Supervision, Consumer Protection Department, Banking Supervision, Financial Policy Regulations Department and Payment System Management Department.

The Arewa Consultative Forum faulted the relocation earlier in the week.