Sanusi Sues President Jonathan, Questions His Suspension From Office

Suspended Governor of the Central Bank
of Nigeria, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, has
dragged President Goodluck Jonathan
before a Federal High Court siting in
Abuja over his suspension from office.
The ousted apex bank boss is urging the
court to restrain the president, the
attorney general of the federation and the
inspector general of police from giving
effect to his purported suspension from
office as the governor of the Central Bank
of Nigeria, pending the determination of
his suit.
He also wants the court to make an order
of interlocutory injunction restraining the
defendants from obstructing, disturbing,
stopping or preventing him in any
manner whatsoever from performing the
functions of his office as the Governor of
the Central Bank of Nigeria and enjoying
in full, the statutory powers and privileges
attached to the office of the governor of
Central Bank of Nigeria.
In the suit filed on behalf of the ousted
CBN boss by his lawyers led by Chief Kola
Awodein, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria,
Sanusi told the court that his
interlocutory application was necessary
because of the issues raised in the suit
and that delay might likely entail
irreparable and serious damage and
mischief on him in the exercise of his
statutory duties as the CBN governor.
He urged the court to exercise its
discretion in his favour by granting the
interlocutory injunctions as the
president’s continuing unlawful
interference with the management and
administration of the apex bank, unless
arrested, posed grave danger for Nigeria’s
economy and justified the court granting
his application which would result in
maintaining status quo ante bellum for
his return to his office as the governor of
the CBN.
In the affidavit deposed in support of his
application, the suspended CBN boss
averred that in the course of his duties,
that 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 and that he
expressed concern in respect of the said
discrepancies and had cause to inform
the National Assembly of the said
discrepancies because they affected the
revenue of the federation and the
national economy.
He further stated that the actions of
President Goodluck Jonathan, in
purporting to suspend him from office,
was aimed at punishing him for these
disclosures.
He also stated that he was challenging the
president’s power to suspend him from
office noting that the president neither
approached nor obtain the support of the
Senate, based on his discussions with
several senators, including Senator Bukola
Saraki.
“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 the Governor of
the Central Bank of Nigeria.”
Sanusi further stated that the actions of
the president in suspending him from
office was contrary to provisions of the
Central Bank of Nigeria Act relating to the
appointment and removal of the CBN
governor and that his purported
suspension amounts to unlawful
interference in the administration and
management of the apex bank and was
illegal, null and void and urged the court,
in the interest of justice, to grant his
reliefs.
The suit which was filed late Monday
afternoon is still at the Federal High
Court’s Registry in Abuja awaiting to be
assigned to a judge for the hearing of the
suit.