The presidency on Monday broke silence on the Supreme Court order on the continuous use of the old naira notes, saying President Muhammadu Buhari has never told Abubakar Malami, the Attorney-General of the federation (AGF), and Godwin Emefiele, Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), to defy the apex court ruling on the naira redesign policy.
In fact the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, in a statement, Monday clarified that Emefiele and Malami are both acting alone as President Buhari has not given any directive against the implementation of the apex court ruling, which extended the use of the old N200, N500 and N1000 notes as legal tender in the country till December 31st, 2023.
While Emefiele and Malami continue to blatantly ignore the ruling, The New Diplomat reports that Nigerians are currently bearing the brunt of the controversial policy as it has collapsed many local businesses nationwide amid untold hardship and misery in the land.
According to the statement by the presidency, “The CBN has no reason not to comply with court orders on the excuse of waiting for directives from the President.”
- What the Presidency Said:
PRESIDENT BUHARI NEVER TOLD AG AND CBN GOV TO DEFY SUPREME COURT ORDER
“The Presidency wishes to react to some public concerns that President Muhammadu Buhari did not react to the Supreme Court judgement on the issue of the N500 and N1,000 old currency notes, and states here plainly and clearly that at no time did he instruct the Attorney General and the CBN Governor to disobey any court orders involving the government and other parties.
“Since the President was sworn into office in 2015, he has never directed anybody to defy court orders, in the strong belief that we can’t practise democracy without the rule of law and the commitment of his administration to this principle has not changed.
“Following the ongoing intense debate about the compliance concerning the legality of the old currency notes, the Presidency therefore wishes to state clearly that President Buhari has not done anything knowingly and deliberately to interfere with or obstruct the administration of justice.
“The President is not a micromanager and will not, therefore, stop the Attorney General and the CBN Governor from performing the details of their duties in accordance with the law. In any case. it is debatable at this time if there is proof of willful denial by the two of them on the orders of the apex court.
“The directive of the President, following the meeting of the Council of State. is that the Bank must make available for circulation all the money that is needed and nothing has happened to change the position.
“It is an established fact that the President is an absolute respecter of judicial process and the authority of the courts. He has done nothing in the last eight or so years to act in any way to obstruct the administration of justice, cause lack of confidence in the administration of justice, or otherwise interfere or corrupt the courts and there is no reason whatsoever that he should do so now when he is getting ready to leave office.
“The negative campaign and personalised attacks against the President by the opposition and all manner of commentators is unfair and unjust, as no court order at any level has been issued or directed at him.
As for the cashless system the CBN is determined to put in place, it is a known fact that many of the country’s citizens who bear the brunt of the sufferings, surprisingly support the policy as they believe that the action would cut corruption, fight terrorism, build an environment of honesty and reinforce the incorruptible leadership of the President.
“It is therefore wide off the mark to blame the President for the current controversy over the cash scarcity, despite the Supreme Court judgement. The CBN has no reason not to comply with court orders on the excuse of waiting for directives from the President.
“President Buhari has also rejected the impression that he lacks compassion, saying that “no government in our recent history has introduced policies to help economically marginalised and vulnerable groups like the present administration.”
- The Background Details
Recall the Supreme Court in its ruling on March 3 had invalidated the earlier deadline given by the CBN as a unanimous judgment of the apex court read by Emmanuel Agim, the 7 justices ruled that old naira notes shall co-exist with new naira notes and shall continue to be legal tender until 31st December, 2023.
However, despite the court ruling, the old Naira notes were yet to be legal tender, a situation which the state governments have described as worrisome and unacceptable.
The New Diplomat had earlier reported that in reaction to FG’s disobedience of the apex court order, state governments had threatened to file contempt charges against the Attorney-General of the Federation, Malami and the CBN Governor, Emefiele on Tuesday should they fail to obey the apex court which ordered that the old N1,000, N500 and N200 should be in circulation alongside the new notes.
The counsel for Kaduna, Kogi and Zamfara states, which dragged the Federal Government before the Supreme Court on the matter, Abdulhakeem Mustapha (SAN), had disclosed to journalists that Malami had been served with the enrolled order and the CTC of the judgment on Friday afternoon, noting that the AGF cannot continue to act as if he was unaware of the Supreme Court judgment.
