The Attorney General of the Federation and minister of justice, Abubakar Malami, has said that the president did not act against the orders of the supreme court on the new naira.
He said this at the 67th ministerial press conference held at the state house in Abuja. According to the AGF, the president did not breach the Supreme Court’s injunction as regards the Naira redesign and currency swap issue.
He stated that many alternatives or options regarding the rules of law are available.
It is imperative to recall that the Supreme Court, in a unanimous decision by a seven-member panel on the lawsuit filed against the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the federal government by three northern state governments, unequivocally commanded the government to maintain the status quo and desist from prohibiting the use of the old naira note..
However, during a live broadcast directed, the CBN to only reissue the N200 naira note for another 60 days.
The president, in his directive, said the old N500 and N1000 should no longer be acceptable as legal tender in the country.
This action by the president resulted in criticism as many reacted to it.
While reacting to the directive, Mike Ozekhome (SAN) stated that the president doesn’t have the power to overrule the Apex court order.
The Senior Advocate of Nigeria said the president’s speech concerning the Naira policy was more like a military tyrant’s.
“Imperious order was a frontal call to chaos, anarchy and national upheaval”, he added.
On Friday, ten State governments also joined in the suit praying the Supreme Court to nullify the president’s directive on the issue of the Naira notes.
The plaintiffs in a 12 grounds application argued that Buhari’s directives on the old notes was “unconstitutional overreach and usurpation of the judiciary power” as the case was already under the Supreme Court.
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They submitted that “Contrary to the order of the Honourable Court, the substantive 1st defendant through the President of the Federation, and its agent, the Central Bank of Nigeria, have repeatedly released statements that the old Naira Notes are no longer legal tender, hence resulting in misleading the general public on what the status quo to be complied with, pendente lite, should be,”.
The plaintiffs in the suit include: The Attorneys General of Kaduna, Kogi, Zamfara, Ondo, Ekiti, Katsina, Ogun, Cross River, Sokoto, and Lagos states, while the defendants are the Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami (SAN), as well as the attorneys’ general of Bayelsa and Edo states.