The Senate on Thursday said President Goodluck Jonathan acted within the ambit of his statutory function in the suspension of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Gov. Sanusi Lamido Sanusi.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!The Chairman, Senate Committee on Information, Media and Publicity, Sen. Enyinnaya Abaribe (PDP-Abia), stated this while addressing the National Assembly correspondents in Abuja.
“The President only suspended Sanusi, he did not sack him. So he acted accordingly,’’ he said.
Abaribe said that the only communication to the Senate in relation to the CBN was the forwarding of the name of the new governor and deputy for confirmation by the Senate.
Sen. Babajide Omoworare (APC-Osun) on his part said that the president’s action was illegal and contrary to the provisions of the CBN Act.
Omoworare said that the act prevented the president from doing so, except in the case of outright sack of the governor.
He said that such step must however be presented to the senate for two third majority approval.
He did not mention the relevant provisions of the act, but said that the president’s action was an act of “ambushing a needed whistle blower out of office’’.
Omoworare he said this was in view of shocking revelations he made against the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) over the mismanagement of oil proceeds.
“Sanusi, no doubt, has been the crown witness in the matter of alleged mismanagement of Nigeria’s oil proceeds to the tune of 49.8 billion dollars.
“So, why suspend him now?” Omoworare asked.
The Chairman, Senate Committee on Finance, Sen. Ahmed Makarfi (PDP-Kaduna), when recognised simply said, “what do you want me to say, am I the one that suspended him?”
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that Jonathan suspended Sanusi on Thursday and appointed Dr Sarah Alade to act pending the appointment of a substantive governor.
The president also forwarded the name of Mr Godwin Emefiele to the Senate for confirmation as the new governor of the apex bank.
The new governor will only assume office at the expiration of Sanusi’s tenure in June
