Sanusi’s suspension and allied matters

The manner of the suspension of Sanusi Lamido Sanusi as the Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria contravenes due process. And the reasons adumbrated by the Presidency are disjointed. The avalanche of diverse legal and political arguments for and against the appropriateness of the suspension is neither here nor there. What is germane is the President’s pronouncement in his recent media chat that he has absolute power to suspend the CBN Governor or anybody! Was it not in this democracy that the former President Obasanjo unilaterally suspended his deputy, Atiku.

How was it possible for President Jonathan to usurp the powers of the judiciary in approving an absurd suspension of a President of Court of Appeal and the judiciary itself could no longer reinstate the PCA when it deemed it necessary? Aren’t there supposed to be separation of powers, and checks and balances between the executive, National Assembly (NASS) and judiciary?

Are the NASS and Judiciary ever able to have any influence or control over the executive? Is the Federal Executive Council not equal to the President? Which minister or any other cabinet member can tell the President home truths? Even the VP dares not look at his boss in the eye and tell him what he doesn’t want to hear! Can’t the President decide not to have a cabinet for as long as it suits him?

Nigerian President is simply too powerful to share governmental power with anybody! Please blame not the President but the constitution! No country has perfect constitution but ours is full of fundamental flaws, lacunae, loopholes, anomalies, inconsistencies and ambiguities. These fatal weaknesses subject the constitution to gross subjective manipulations and blatant misinterpretations. The situation where the President alone appoints people or recommends people for appointment as heads of all government Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) is out of sync with our socio-cultural and political orientation.

It is worrying that a particular qualified and competent professor can’t become a vice chancellor of a federal university if the President doesn’t like his face – it doesn’t matter if the professor is the choice of the university. Likewise, a particular qualified and competent candidate can’t become the rector of a state polytechnic if the governor has their own preferred candidate – it won’t matter if the candidate is the best for the position. Like Sam Omatseye opined “The governor in Nigeria is like a monarch, just as the president is like an emperor”. Lord Acton quipped “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely”. “Unlimited power is apt to corrupt the minds of those who possess it”, said William Pitt the Elder.
A piece of information: In the case of Atikuvs Obasanjo, the Federal High Court, the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court ruled that the President can’t suspend a public officer he has no power to sack. Now that the President has said he has absolute power to fire anybody, does it mean he can unilaterally suspend the chairman INEC without recourse to the Senate, during a general election or when the chairman is about to announce election results? While the constitution is an albatross around the country’s neck, the presidential system of government is the bane of the polity. Hence the adoption of a brand new constitution and a Nigerianised parliamentary democracy are vitally important for the country sooner than later.

Engr Yomi Akinola,
Osun State College of Technology, Esa-Oke