The apex Court had on February 8 restrained the federal government and its agencies from enforcing the February 10 deadline for the use of old 200, 500 and 1000 naira notes, pending the determination of the motion for injunctions filed by the plaintiff, the order still subsists since the motion was not yet heard.
He stated: “That order has been flouted by the government. We are talking of executive lawlessness here. We have filed an affidavit to that effect…We want the court to renew the order for parties to be properly guided.”
Justice John Okoro, who presided over the seven-member panel of the court, directed Mustapha to filed a proper application to put forward his complaints and to enable the respondent respond appropriately.
Justice Okoro however said there was no need for a renewal of the court’s order, since the order made by the court on February 8 was made pending the determination of the motion for injunctions filed by the plaintiff, the order still subsists since the motion was not yet heard.
The February 8 order restrained “the Federal Government of Nigeria, either by itself or acting through the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and/or the commercial banks, its agents; agencies, corporations, ministries, parastatals, organizations or through any person or persons (natural and artificial) howsoever, from suspending or determining or ending on the 10th of February 2023 the timeframe within which the now older versions of the 200, 500 and 1000 denominations of the naira may no longer be legal tender, pending the hearing and determination of the plaintiffs/applicants’ motion on notice for interlocutory injunction.”
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court of Nigeria has adjourned the case on the naira swap policy of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) till Wednesday, February 22 for hearing of the consolidated suits by 10 states.
The apex court, which heard the case on Wednesday, was filled to capacity with a retinue of Senior Advocates of Nigeria, other lawyers and the governors of Kaduna and Kogi states, Nasir El-Rufai and Yahaya Bello, respectively.
The court joined Katsina, Lagos, Cross Rivers, Ogun, Ondo, Ekiti, and Sokoto States as co-plaintiffs in the suit challenging the Naira Redesign policy of the Federal Government.
The various state governments had, through their attorneys general, applied to be joined in the suit.
Similarly, the apex court joined Edo and Bayelsa states in support of the Federal Government on implementation of the naira swap policy.
The six states in their respective motions for joinder pitched their tents with the three aggrieved states, Kaduna, Zamfara, and Kogi states that initially ignited the suit.
At the last hearing, the court had temporarily banned the implementation of the February 10 deadline of the CBN from making the old N200, N500 and N1,000 notes legal tender.
The Zamfara, Kogi and Kaduna states had instituted the suit against the Federal Government and the CBN.
Justice John Okoro leading a seven-man panel said the court should not lose sight of the case and its intention as it affects the suffering of Nigerians.