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.
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