The apex organisation of all civil society groups in Nigeria, Civil Society Central Coordinating Council (CSCCC), on Wednesday, February 8, stormed the headquarters of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Abuja, to protest against the ruling of the supreme court on the deadline for use of old naira notes, Headlinenews.news report.
The national coordinator of CSCCC, Obed Okwukwe, while speaking on Wednesday, urged Buhari to issue an executive order maintaining February 10 as the deadline for use of old naira notes.
Okwukwe added that the apex court order did not restrain the exercise of the constitutional powers of the President.
He also called on the supreme court not to yield its platform for election riggers to have access to illicit cash to compromise the forthcoming elections
Recall that the supreme court, on Wednesday, halted the move by the federal government to ban the use of the old naira notes from February 10, 2023.
A seven-member panel led by Justice John Okoro, stopped the move in a ruling in an ex-parte application brought by three states including Kaduna, Kogi and Zamfara.
The three states specifically applied for an order of interim injunction restraining “the federal government through the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) or the commercial banks from suspending or determining or ending on February 10, 2023, the time frame with which the older version of the N200, N500 and N1,000 may no longer be legal tender, pending the hearing and determination of their motion on notice for interlocutory injunction.”
Counsel to the applicants, A.I. Mustapha (SAN), while moving the application on Wednesday, urged the apex court to grant the application in the interest of justice and the well-being of Nigeria.
He stated that the policy of the federal government had led to an “excruciating situation that is almost leading to anarchy in the land.”
Justice Okoro, while delivering ruling in the motion, granted the application after a careful consideration of the motion.
Also, he adjourned the case till February 15, 2023, for hearing of the main suit.
Nigerians React
The deadline won’t change. Neither CBN or the commercial banks was joined as parties to this suit. The 3 state governments simply took advantage of the fact that in matters purely between the state and the FG the supreme court can serve as a court of first and only instance. Joining CBN in the matter would immediately rob the supreme court of jurisdiction. Sadly, the attorney general cannot issue a binding order on the CBN governor, the CBN act didn’t contemplate such and the interim order is simply an academic attempt at grandstanding. They’re indeed forces determined to derail the forthcoming elections and trigger social unrest. If your ATM card is working go to any large supermarket and stock up. The next 3 weeks are exciting times to come. I forgot to add that only CBN is empowered by law to determine what is termed legal tender. As for this set of JSCs, they’ve taken judicial rascality to the high heavens. One day soon we will put the searchlight on how supreme these odoriferous judges have become.Moreover is an interim injunction and can be vacated after 7 days.
National Patriots
Femi Adekunle
Osun State
