Sanusi’s suit withdrawal: We don’t trust Sanusi’s step – says FG

The Federal Government on Friday expressed doubt over the withdrawal of the suit filed by the new Emir of Kano, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, challenging his suspension as the Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria on February 20. The FG expressed the doubt at the National Industrial Court, when its counsel, Chief Mike Ozekhome (SAN), told the court that although he was not opposing Sanusi’s notice of discontinuance, the government was not sure of the former CBN governor’s next move. He added that he was not willing to withdraw his pending motion for stay of execution of the judgement by Justice Gabriel Kolawole of the Federal High Court, Abuja, who had made an order transferring Sanusi’s suit to the National Industrial Court. Ozekhome said the government was not sure of the next move by Sanusi, as the former CBN governor had yet to withdraw his appeal against the judgement of the Federal High Court. “We do not want to be caught unawares,” Ozekhome said. Sanusi had filed an appeal against the judgement of the Federal High Court, claiming that the court was wrong to have held that it lacked jurisdiction to entertain the matter and subsequently transferred the suit to NIC. But President Goodluck Jonathan and the Attorney-General of the Federation had also appealed against the judgement of the Federal High Court on the grounds that the court lacked the power to transfer the matter. They argued that the appropriate order the court ought to have made was dismissal or striking out of the suit. Both Sanusi and the Federal Government had therefore filed separate applications for stay of execution of the Federal High Court’s judgement. Ozekhome told Justice Babatunde Adejumo, who is presiding over the case at the NIC, on Friday, that if Sanusi was genuinely desirous of withdrawing his case, he should take further steps to also discontinue his appeal and motion for stay of execution. He also sought time to confer with the AGF on what next step he should take in respect of his pending motion before the court.