The Federal High Court, Abuja, declined an ex-parte application filed by the suspended Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Lamido Sanusi. The decision by Justice Gabriel Kolawole was announced on February 26, 2014, Wednesday.
Shortly
after the applicant’s lawyer, Sam Kagbo, informed the court about the
application, Justice Kolawole said he felt hesitant and constrained to
grant the reliefs sought. He ordered that the respondents be put on
notice.
However, the judge noted that the
court possesses the powers to declare the suspension unlawful and order
Lamido’s return to office, if at the end of trial, it finds that the
suspension was wrong.
Justice
Kolawole noted that even where the tenure had lapsed, the court could
order the defendants to pay the plaintiff such remunerations and
allowances, if his remuneration and allowances were also suspended while
his suspension lasted.
The
judge held that it was unsafe, at the current preliminary stage of the
case, for the court to embark on
granting far-reaching interim orders
which have all the attributes of a mandatory injunction without hearing
from the defendants.
The case has been adjourned to March 12, 2014, for hearing.
It would be recalled that in a suit filed on February 24, 2014, Monday, Sanusi wanted the court
to restrain the President and two others from giving effect to his
purported suspension pending the determination of his suit, among
others. Also to be restrained are the Attorney General of the Federation and the Inspector General of Police.
READ MORE: http://news.naij.com/60426.html
READ MORE: http://news.naij.com/60426.html