The plot to suspend Central Bank of
Nigeria (CBN) Governor Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, was to be carried out last
week through the Senate, it was learnt yesterday.
The Presidency opted to suspend Sanusi
before the expiration of his tenure to pay him back for the alleged
leakage of a letter to the President on the ‘missing’ $20billion oil
cash, The Nation was told.
There were indications last night that
Sanusi, who flew into Lagos from Niamey, Niger Republic, had interaction
with security agents before moving into a private home in Ikoyi.
Investigation by our correspondent
revealed that based on a report of the Financial Reporting Council
(FRC), the Presidency lobbied some of its loyalists to raise the matter
on the floor of the Senate on alleged spending of N250billion without
appropriation by the CBN under Sanusi.
It was gathered that a motion to that
effect was already set for presentation by the Chairman of the Senate
Committee on Rules and Business, Senator Ita Enang.
But, sensing the mood of the Senate and the likely resistance by Northern senators, the anti-Sanusi plotters shelved it.
A source, who spoke in confidence, said:
“The Order Paper initially prepared for the Senate was to prevail on
senators to look into how the CBN under Sanusi spent N250billion without
appropriation.
“They alleged that the report cited the donation of over N100billion to charity on behalf of the CBN without any legal basis.
“Some extracts of the report of the
Financial Reporting Council (FRC) were already included in the Order
Paper for Senators’ consideration but it was obvious that the agenda
against Sanusi could not fly. The anti-Sanusi plotters had to shelve it.
“Their plan was to use the Senate as a
springboard to deal with Sanusi. If the Senate’s enlistment had scaled
through, the President would have opted for removal of the CBN Governor
than suspension.
