Finally, Sanusi Sues Jonathan Over ‘Illegal’ Suspension

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.

Source:http/shaharareporter.com