Fireworks resume at Nigeria’s apex court as states of the federation wrestle with the Federal Govermnent Over Naira redesign implementation
By Kamil Opeyemi and Halimah Olamide
*Vows to Decide Naira Debacle Today
Plaintiffs in the suit over the redesign of Naira are asking the Supreme Court to stop the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Mallami, from defending the Federal Government on Wednesday after being accused of contempt of earlier orders of the court. Moyosore Onigbanjo (SAN) who is also the Commissioner for Justice in Lagos State, had asked the court to stop Mallami from defending the Federal Govermment on the premise that the government had disobeyed an earlier order which said that all Naira notes remain as legal tenders pending the determination of the main suit.
NPO Reports that the Supreme Court had last week adjourned to today over the suit challenging the implementation of the new Naira notes by the Central Bank of Nigeria. The policy has been adjudged wrongly implemented with many unable to have access to their money.
Responding to Onigbanjo, Justice John Okoro, said, “you are not a stranger to this country.
We don’t want a situation where the judiciary will be a scapegoat. We refuse to be the scapegoat”. “We are hearing this matter today. We don’t intend to keep this matter longer… whether they obey it or not”.
Apart from Kogi, Zamfara and Kaduna that initially instituted the suit, other states that had joined include Lagos, Ondo, Ekiti, Kano, Sokoto, Ogun and Cross River.
Appearing in court today for the plaintiffs are MA Mustafa (SAN, AB Sulu-Gambari and Sguiab Ahuwa SAN for Kaduna, AJ Owonikoko for Zamfara State, M A Ologunorisha for Katsina, Tunde Afe-Babalola SAN for Ogun State, O. O Olowolafe for Ekiti Charles Titiloye for Ondo, Georgina Ude for Sokoto Kenneth Mozea for Edo and Audu Anuga for Bayelsa State.
Justice Okoro lamented what he called the over-burdening of the Apex court with frivolous cases pleading with those who should act to see to the review of the laws to relieve the Supreme Court of unnecessary cases.