The Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, said that the Governors who sued the Federal Government over the Naira Redesign policy did not do so because of political reasons but the sufferings of their citizens.
El-Rufai, disclosed this during the APC Governors conference following the Supreme Court’s ruling on Friday afternoon which ordered the Federal Government to allow the old naira notes to continue as legal tender until Dec. 31, 2023.
What El-Rufai said: He also noted that President Muhammadu Buhari, who is also from the ruling APC, disagreed with the Governors position on the Policy and its implementation. He added that they were left with no choice but to go to court.
- “We are grateful to court for this decision, to ensure that from today, the old naira notes shall continue to circulate policy of currency confiscation is unlawful, so Nigerians
- “Those who said we went to court because of election are wrong, we went to court because people in our states were suffering, and lives were being destroyed.”
In case you missed it: The Supreme Court on Friday ordered the Federal Government to allow the old Naira notes to continue as legal tender until Dec. 31, 2023.
The apex court ruled that the federal government’s economic Policy of Cashless and Naira Re-designing as an affront to the 1999 Constitution, citing that the Presidency breached the Constitution of the Federation in the ways and manners he issued directives for the re-designing of the Naira by the Central Bank of Nigeria CBN.
Justice Emmanuel Agim held that the President acted “Ulta vires” by his glaring failure to consult with the National Council of States, Federal Executive Council FEC and the National Economic Council NEC before directing the Central Bank of Nigeria to unlawfully introduce new Naira notes adding that it was unconstitutional use of powers by Buhari on Naira Re-designing has breached the fundermental rights of the Nigerian citizens in various ways.
Kaduna, Kogi, Zamfara had filed the suit but Rivers, Kano, Niger, Jigawa, Nasarawa, Ondo, Ekiti, Katsina, Ogun, Cross River, Lagos, and Sokoto states were among the first batch to be joined as co-plaintiffs, while Edo and Bayelsa states joined the attorney-general of the federation (AGF) as defendants.
