New Notes: Buhari Usurping Judicial Powers, 10 States Tell Supreme Court

*Say president’s broadcast puts Nigerians in dilemma

Alex Enumah in Abuja

It seems the last is yet to be heard over the cashless policy of the federal government, as 10 states of the federation challenging the policy have approached the apex court for an order setting aside the pronouncement of President Muhammadu Buhari declaring the end of the old N500 and N1,000 notes as legal tender.

The president had on a national broadcast on Thursday, directed the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to release old N200 notes into circulation to co-exist with new N200, N500 and N1,000 banknotes for 60 days.

According to the president, the directive was in response to the hardship millions of Nigerians are encountering in accessing their funds from commercial banks across the country since the demonetization policy commenced.

Buhari in the broadcast also maintained that in line with the policy that gave a February 10 deadline for the cessation of the affected denominations the old N500 and N1,000 banknotes are no longer legal tender in Nigeria.

Miffed by the announcement of the president, the aggrieved states on Friday, took a fresh fresh application marked: SC/CV/162/2023, to challenge the directive.

Plaintiffs in the motion filed by A.J. Owonikoko, SAN, described the action of the president as “an unconstitutional overreach and usurpation of the judicial power” and as such should be set aside.

While the plaintiffs include the Attorneys General (AGs) of Kaduna, Kogi, Zamfara, Ondo, Ekiti, Katsina, Ogun, Cross River, Sokoto, and Lagos states the respondents are the Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami (SAN), and the AGs of Bayelsa and Edo states.

They claimed that the action of the president had put the citizens in a dilemma as to which directives is to be obeyed because the interim order of the Supreme Court halting the federal government’s ban from taking effect from February 10, is still substituting having not been vacated by the apex court.

They argued that the Supreme Court can only restore the faith of Nigerians in the judiciary by granting this application for setting aside the directive of President Buhari made on Thursday via a national broadcast.

Details later.