The suspended governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria has faulted his suspension by President Goodluck Jonathan claiming that it is “unconstitutional”.

Speaking in an exclusive interview with Channels Television’s correspondent, Harriet Agbenyi, Mr Sanusi said he may seek some form of legal intervention over his suspension.

Reacting to the allegations of financial recklessness, Mr Sanusi questioned the reasons given for the action and said the presidency did not follow due process.

He wondered what kind of standards were used to make the allegations levelled against him saying that “just a little over a week ago, the petroleum minister and the GMD of NNPC, sat in front of the Senate on national television, actually said they have paid billions of dollars on subsidy of kerosene without appropriation”.

This, he said was happening in spite of a presidential directive to stop the payment since 2009, wondering why “no one has called this financial recklessness”.

“The NNPC itself has not been audited since 2005” alleging that “they are now rushing to get all those back audits” he said.

On the findings of the Finacial Reporting Council of Nigeria, Mr Sanusi asked “if there is any problem in investing in education; building structures in universities; building structures in secondary schools?” or “is there evidence that these contracts were inflated or we awarded the contract to ourselves?” wondering “what exactly is reckless about contributing to education?”

Mr Sanusi maintained that the “Central Bank is an independent institution” insisting that “there is a section of the Act that says the president cannot remove the governor without two thirds of the Senate”.

“You cannot go round that section” he continued, noting that “it undermines the entire principle” he said.

He reminded Nigerians that “the president does not appoint” insisting that “he proposes and the Senate confirms” claiming that the governor is appointed by both the president and the senate and should be removed by both.

He noted that he wants to seek legal intervention so that “governors coming after me will not refuse to act or refuse to be independent because of fear that they will be suspended”.