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Senate screens new CBN governor, deputy on Tuesday

By on March 24, 2014

The Senate will tomorrow (Tuesday), begin the formal screening of Messrs. Godwin Emefiele and Adebayo Adekola, as the new Governor and Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria respectively.

This was contained in the Notice Order Paper prepared on Monday for Tuesday’s plenary of the upper chamber by the Senate Committee on Rules and Business, on Monday.

The document, obtained by our correspondent also explained that the Senate leader, Victor Ndoma-Egba, would formally move the motion for the screening and confirmation of the nominees.

The notice explained that the screening would be done on the floor of the senate, in accordance with section 8(1) and (2) of the CBN Act 2007.

It will be recalled that President Goodluck Jonathan had nominated Emefiele and Adekola to the Senate for confirmation through his letter on February 20.

He had said, “In view of the fact that the tenure of the current Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria will end on June1, 2014, and pursuant to the provisions section 8(1) and (2) of the CBN Act, 2007, I hereby forward the name of Mr. Godwin I. Emefiele for kind consideration and confirmation by the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria for appointment as Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria.”

However, in his bid to return to office before June, 2014 when his tenure was supposed to lapsed, Sanusi, had dragged Jonathan before an Abuja Federal High Court through a suit he filed to challenge his suspension from office.

Sanusi asked the court to restrain the President, the Attorney General of the Federation and the Inspector General of Police from giving effect to his purported suspension from office as the CBN governor, pending the determination of the suit.

He equally asked the court to make an order of interlocutory injunction restraining the defendants “from obstructing, disturbing, stopping or preventing him, in any manner whatsoever, from performing the functions of his office as the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria and enjoying in full, the statutory powers and privileges attached to the office.”

Meanwhile, the CBN amendment Bill which was being sponsored by Senator Ita Enang, went through the first reading on the floor of the Senate last week Thursday.

The proposed amendment bill reduced the powers of a sitting CBN governor by amending section 7(1) of the existing act.

 

 

[Punch]