Buhari overrules Supreme Court, the latest in his court order violations
By Jeph Ajobaju, Chief Copy Editor
Reintroduction of just old N200 notes by President Muhammadu Buhari overrules the Supreme Court which ordered on 8 February that all old banknotes – N200, N500, and N1,000 – remain legal tenders, says human rights lawyer Monday Ubani.
The Supreme Court reiterated the order on Wednesday at its hearing of the suit filed by Kaduna, Zamfara, and Kogi, before it adjourned the case until 22 February.
Buhari in a national broadcast this morning directed the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to recirculate old N200 notes until April 10 but said old N500 and N1,000 notes will no longer be accepted by banks.
Ubani argued on Channels Television the directive is a bad precedent and shows the level of disrespect Buhari has for court orders.
He said: “There was an interim order which says there should be a stay of action until all grievances are looked at because unfortunately many other states are joining the suit, and the Supreme Court saw the wisdom in giving room for other parties to join so that there will be proper parties before it before going ahead to look at the issues on its merit. That was why there was an adjournment yesterday.
“But unfortunately what the President has done this morning is ignore whatever is going on at the Supreme Court.
“When you say you will only allow old N200 to be in circulation, it means old N500 and N1000 are no longer legal tenders.”
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Nigeria not practicing democracy
“My own understanding of what has taken place is that he has overruled the Supreme Court. He is clearly not mindful of what is going on at the Supreme Court with what he has just done,” Ubani added, per Vanguard.
“I am not too happy with what has happened this morning in terms of the President overruling the Supreme Court. We are not telling the world that we are practising democracy. It is not a proper precedent.
“If you cannot obey your court orders, how do you instill confidence in the international community to come into your country to make investments?
“In case there is any dispute, can there be a decision of the court that can be complied with within your country? We are not sending the right signal”
Buhari enthused in the broadcast naira redesign will, among others, curb inflation curb corruption, and improve transparency.
He said the initiative has reduced the influence of money in politics to ensure a credible election this year.
Buhari announced he has asked the CBN to make the new banknotes more accessible to Nigerians and appealed for their understanding.