The Presidency has clarified that President Muhammadu Buhari
did not direct Abubakar Malami, the attorney general of the federation (AGF),
and Godwin Emefiele, governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), not to obey
the supreme court ruling on the naira redesign policy.
In a statement on Monday evening, the presidency said: “The
CBN has no reason not to comply with court orders on the excuse of waiting for
directives from the President.”
The supreme court ruled on March 3 to invalidate the naira
redesign policy introduced by the CBN.
The court made the declaration while delivering judgment in
a suit instituted by three states of the federation.
A seven-member panel of the apex court held that the old
N200, N500, and N1000 notes remain legal tender until December 31, 2023.
They supreme court faulted the entire policy of the CBN,
saying the timing and implementation were defective.
Since the ruling, neither the CBN governor nor the AGF has
made any official statement about compliance with the apex court ruling.
Reacting to the public concerns about the failure of the
apex bank to comply with the ruling, the presidency in the statement insisted
that there was no time that the president directed the AGF and CBN governor not
to obey the ruling.
“The Presidency wishes to react to some public concerns that
President Buhari did not react to the Supreme Court judgement on the issue of
the N500 and N1,000 old currency notes, and state 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,” the
statement reads.
“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 ongoing intense debate about the compliance
concerning the legality of the old currency notes, the Presidency therefore
wishes to state clearly that Pres. Buhari has not done anything knowingly &
deliberately to interfere with or obstruct the administration of justice.
“The President is not
a micromanager and will not, therefore, stop the AG and CBN Gov from performing
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,
of 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.”
Advertise on NigerianEye.com to reach thousands of our daily users
His body language is in total disregard to the rule of law. The AGF & CBN will have to protect their job. Many precious souls are lost due to the suffering. May GOD have mercy upon us
ReplyDelete