President Jonathan Reluctant To Offer Congratulations to Sanusi
Twenty-four hours after the emergence of a former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, as the new Emir of Kano, President Goodluck Jonathan has yet to congratulate him on his appointment.
Sanusi was on Sunday named the new emir by Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso of Kano State to succeed the late Alhaji Ado Bayero, who died on Friday.
There has been no love lost between Jonathan and the new emir since the President suspended him from office as the CBN governor on February 20.
In suspending Sanusi, Jonathan had said in a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, that he found out that Sanusi’s tenure as the CBN governor had been characterised by acts of financial recklessness and misconduct, which the Presidency said was inconsistent with the administration’s vision.
The President named a Deputy Governor of the CBN, Dr. Sarah Alade, as the acting governor and ordered the Financial Reporting Council of Nigeria to conduct further investigations into what he called breaches of enabling laws, due process and mandate of the CBN under Sanusi.
Sanusi is still contesting his suspension and his probe in court as of the time he emerged as the new emir.
A source told our correspondent that Jonathan’s plan to travel to Kano to pay condolence to the family of the late emir and the members of the emirate on Monday was put off abruptly.
The source said the trip could have been aborted because of Sanusi’s emergence.
The development, the source added, was seen in the Presidency as a big blow to Jonathan’s fortune in the event that he decided to contest the 2015 presidential election.
He said the combination of the emir and Kwankwaso, who recently defected from the Peoples Democratic Party to the All Progressives Congress would spell Jonathan’s electoral misfortune in Kano.
It was not clear at press time if the President would be ready to go and pay homage to the new emir in Kano as is often the practice.