The President last Thursday suspended Sanusi from office based on an audit report from the Financial Reporting Council (FRC) which allegedly indicted the governor of “financial recklessness.”

But the All Progressives Congress (APC) caucus, in a statement by its spokesman, Senator Babafemi Ojudu, not only condemned the President’s action, the lawmakers declared the action “illegal” and vowed to resist it.

“By unilaterally removing the CBN governor without recourse to two-thirds majority of the Senate as the CBN Act 2007 provides, the President has acted illegally. As we work hard at strengthening our democracy and the Rule of Law, the APC Senate caucus will not sit by and watch the President whimsically offend the relevant laws,” a part of the statement read.

In his reaction, Senate spokesman Enyinnaya Abaribe reiterated that Jonathan acted within his powers as conferred on him by the 1999 Constitution and dismissed contrary comments as “self-serving.

“I find it inconceivable that anybody would contemplate that the president of Nigeria does not have the power to suspend those who are under his executive authority.  If the CBN is part of this executive, then, the president is right in exercising that power.

“All those spurious arguments are just self-serving arguments…” Abaribe told Daily Sun.

Senate Leader Victor Ndoma-Egba (SAN) reiterated that since Abaribe remains the spokesman of the Senate, he has spoken on behalf of the Upper Legislative Chamber on the issue. “Abaribe is the official spokesman of the Senate,” he said.

Meanwhile, fresh indications emerged yesterday that a letter from the President, informing the Senate of Dr.  Alade is still before the chamber and has not been read to lawmakers.

A source in the office of the Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, who declined to be named, told Daily Sun yesterday that there is “no letter suspending Sanusi. We did not receive such letter. Rather, there were two letters, one announcing the nomination of Mr. Godwin Emefiele and the second, that Alade would act in Sanusi’s stead…

“We don’t know why the letter was not read at Thursday’s plenary…”

The letter may, however, be read when Senate resumes plenary on Tuesday, March 11, it was gathered.