- As Buhari Calls For Calm, Insists On Status Quo
Barely five days to presidential and National Assembly polls, the All Progressives Congress (APC) has urged the Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami and the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele to respect the Supreme Court order of interim injunction on the Naira note re-design.
Sen. Abdullahi Adamu, the APC National Chairman, said the appeal was part of resolution reached at an emergency meeting between the party’s governors and members of its National Working Committee (NWC) on Sunday in Abuja.
Adamu, who spoke to newsmen at the end of the closed door meeting, said the meeting also urged President Muhammadu Buhari to intervene in resolving issues caused by the new Naira note re-design and the cashless economy policy.
Speaking from Addis Ababa via a video Sunday, President Muhammadu Buhari, however, called for calm, saying, “I want to once again assure you that I am fully aware of the current hardship you are facing as a result of some policies of the government which are meant to bring overall improvement to the country.
“I am appealing to you to exercise further patience as we take appropriate measures to ease these hardships. God willing, there will be light at the end of the tunnel,” Buhari said without backtracking on his earlier order.
Recall the Supreme Court had in a ruling granted an interim injunction that the CBN and the federal government should suspend the implementation of the Feb.10 deadline for the expiration of the legal tender status of the old N200, N500 and N1000 notes.
This, it said, should be pending until the hearing and determination of a suit before it slated for Feb. 22.
Buhari had however on Thursday (Feb. 16), announced that only the old N200 note would remain valid until April 10, while the old N500 and N1000 notes had lost their legal tender status, contrary to the ruling of the apex court.
“Without prejudice or whatsoever to the case that is lying at the Supreme Court at this point in time, that has to do with the issue of currency re-design.
“We note very seriously that the programme and its implementation is causing tremendous difficulties to the people of Nigeria and to the national economy.
“That we urge the Attorney General of the Federation and the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to respect the Supreme Court order of interim injunction which is still subsisting.
“That the meeting is urging his Excellency, President Buhari, to intervene in resolving issues that are causing great difficulties to the economy,” Adamu said.
He added that contrary to speculations, the party’s leadership and governors elected on its platform under the aegis of Progressives Governors Forum (PGF) were on the same page on this matter.
Also speaking, Gov. Atiku Bagudu of Kebbi and Chairman PGF, expressed satisfaction on the party’s ongoing presidential campaign across the country.
Bagudu said he was very proud about the conduct of party’s members and its presidential candidate, Sen. Bola Tinubu, adding that the governors and the party’s leadership are working in unity to achieve electoral victory.
“The Director-General of the campaign and indeed, governors and the party’s candidates across the country have been doing a tremendous job of mobilising the Nigerian populace.
“And we are very impressed with the support of the majority of Nigerians,” he said.
Governors of Kaduna, Kogi, Jigawa, Yobe, Zamfara, Plateau, Ekiti, Niger, Kebbi, Gombe, Lagos and Nasarawa states as well as the deputy governors of Imo and Katsina states were present at the meeting.
Tinubu also attended the meeting, which lasted for about three hours.
