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Sanusi sues Jonathan

Published

11 years ago

February 26, 2014

Ousted Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Sanusi
Lamido Sanusi has finally concretised his threat to sue President
Goodluck Jonathan over his removal as head of the bank last week.
According to a suit filed at a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja
late on Monday, Sanusi is challenging his suspension from office;
and he has implored the court to, among others, restrain the
president — alongside Attorney General of the Federation (AGF)
and the Inspector General of Police (IGP) — from giving effect
to his suspension, pending the determination of his lawsuit.
He is also seeking an order of interlocutory injunction restraining
the defendants from obstructing, disturbing, stopping or preventing
him in any manner, from performing the functions of his office and
enjoying in full, the statutory powers and privileges attached to the
office of the governor of the CBN.
Making a case for the reasons why the court should grant the
prayers in his interlocutory application, he said the president’s
unlawful interference with the management and administration of
the CBN can only be left unaddressed at the expense of the
country’s economy. Granting his application, he argued, will
encourage parties to maintain the status quo until the determination
of the substantive case.
In a supporting affidavit, Sanusi maintained that his suspension is
the consequence of his outcry over the $20bn in crude oil sales that
was unremitted by the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation
(NNPC). He explained that while performing his duties as
Governor of CBN, he discovered certain discrepancies in respect
of amounts repatriated to the federation account from the proceed of
crude oil sales between the period of January 2012 and July 2013.
He said he expressed concerns about the said discrepancies and
went ahead to notify the National Assembly, considering its huge
effect on revenue of the federation and the national economy. His
suspension, he insisted, is aimed at punishing him for the disclosures.
Sanusi stated clearly that he was challenging the president’s power
to suspend him from office, especially as the Senate was not
approached to ratify the decision.
“I have been informed, and I verily believe the information given to
me by Senator Bukola Saraki to be true and correct that the
Senate did not give the president any support for my purported
suspension and removal from office as Governor of the Central
Bank of Nigeria”, a part of the document read.
He described his suspension as a contravention of provisions of the
Central Bank of Nigeria Act relating to the appointment and
removal of the CBN Governor. He therefore branded the act an
unlawful interference in the administration and management of the
apex bank, which is illegal, null and void.
President Goodluck Jonathan suspended Sanusi Lamido as CBN
Governor on 20th February 2014, claiming reliance on a report of
the Financial Reporting Council of Nigeria (FRCN) that
indicted the governor of “financial recklessness and misconduct”.
But the widespread belief is that Sanusi’s suspension was triggered
by his well-documented outspokenness, particularly his recent
revelation of NNPC’s failure to remit $20bn in crude oil sales to
the federation account.
During his presidential media chat yesterday, Jonathan claimed
that Sanusi remains the governor of CBN, yet the president
nominated both an Acting Governor and a substantive replacement
for Sanusi exactly on the day his suspension was announced.
Let watch and see where this end