By Sunday Ejike Benjamin
A Federal High Court, Abuja yesterday dismissed an ex-parte motion seeking the immediate reinstatement of the suspended Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mallam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi.
Justice Gabriel Kolawole, in his ruling on the ex-parte motion said it would not be in the interest of justice for him to grant such application without hearing from those that were dragged before the court by the suspended CBN governor.
Consequently, Sanusi, was ordered to go and serve the relevant court processes on President Goodluck Jonathan, the Attorney General of the Federation and the Inspector General of Police, who were all listed as defendants in the matter, even as the substantive suit was adjourned to March 12 for hearing.
Kolawole maintained that should the court, at the conclusion of the matter, discover that the CBN governor was wrongfully suspended without recourse to the due process of the law, the court has the constitutional powers to, not only void the suspension, but also order that he should return to office to perform his duties as the head of the apex bank.
According to the Judge, even where the tenure had lapsed, the court could order the defendants to pay the plaintiff such remunerations and allowances that ought to have accrued to him within the period of his suspension, “this is in any event that the suspension carries with it the stoppage of the plaintiff’s remuneration and allowances.”
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