APC once celebrated him, now he is ignorant - Ben Bruce wades into Sanusi, presidency saga

A great drama is currently playing out between the Emir of Kano, Emir of Kano, Muhammad Sanusi II, and the presidency.

The presidency on Saturday, December 3, faulted the Emir who criticized the financial policies of President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration, while accusing the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) of illegally lending to the federal government.

Garba Shehu, a senior special assistant to the president on publicity affairs, said Sanusi spoke without having the necessary facts.

Reacting to the ongoing drama, Senator Ben Murray-Bruce wondered how a man who was once celebrated by the ruling All Progressives Congress could now be described as ignorant by the presidency.

He wrote: “How sad that the Presidency calls HRH Sanusi 'ignorant'. How times have changed. This is a man the APC once celebrated. Now he is 'ignorant'!”

READ ALSO: He's talking without facts, Presidency blasts Emir Sanusi

Some of his supporters were of the opinion that the presidency calling the Emir ignorant was not an insult while others faulted the APC -led government.

Sanusi became Emir in 2014 after he was removed as the governor of the Central Bank of Nigerian by the administration of ex-president Goodluck Jonathan following a row over corruption in the oil sector.

The Emir who was CBN governor from 2009 to 2014, disagreed with Jonathan’s government over critical policy and differences in the reconciliations of the accounts of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation. His stance was viewed by many as courageous.

Since Buhari took over power, the Emir has been advising the president on what to do so he doesn’t end up like Jonathan.

In February, the monarch accused Buhari of encouraging corruption with his exchange rate policies. He said the president’s anti-corruption stance was totally inconsistent with the foreign exchange regime he supported.

In August, while speaking during the 15th meeting of the Joint Planning Board and National Council on Development Planning in Kano state, Sanusi warned that the Buhari-led federal government that it would end up like the Jonathan administration if it doesn’t change some of its policies.

In reaction, the presidency said Buhari would not fight the Emir of Kano for criticizing the present administration as such criticism was healthy for democracy.