THE Supreme Court has adjourned the suit challenging the naira redesign policy of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to Wednesday, February 22.
The apex court fixed the date at a sitting on Wednesday, February 15.
The court also held that it was in order to hear the consolidated lawsuits filed by 10 states against the policy.
The governors of Kogi and Kaduna states, Yahaya Bello and Nasir El Rufai, respectively, were in court during Wednesday’s proceedings.
Speaking to journalists after the court session, Kogi state governor Bello said the governors were in court because Nigerians are suffering because of the CBN policy.
He said he believes the Supreme Court’s earlier ruling still exists until the postponed date.
The ICIR reported that the Supreme Court, on February 8, stopped the plan by the Federal Government to ban the use of the old naira notes from February 10.
A seven-member panel of Justices of the apex court led by Justice John Okoro ordered the suspension of the plan while ruling on an exparte motion filed by the Kaduna, Kogi and Zamfara state governments.
The ICIR reported that three All Progressives Congress (APC) governors dragged the Federal Government before the Supreme Court to halt the full implementation of the naira redesign policy introduced by the CBN.
The governors of Kaduna, El Rufai, Kogi, Bello, and Zamfara, Bello Matawalle, who filed the suit, expressed concern about the impact of the CBN policy on citizens of their states.
Other states like Ekiti, Ondo and Kano have applied to join the suit.
The Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, the only defendant in the lawsuit, had in a counter motion asked the Supreme Court to dismiss the suit filed by the state governments.
Mahmood Magaji, the lawyer representing the AGF, filed the government’s objection to the suit.
In the Notice of Preliminary Objection dated February 8, the Federal Government claimed that the Supreme Court lacked the necessary jurisdiction to entertain the suit in the first place.
The AGF argued that the plaintiffs should have commenced the suit before a Federal High Court and not at the Supreme Court.
He also stated that the Federal Government would take steps to vacate the order when the court resumes using the instrumentality of the law.
The CBN had earlier fixed February 10 for the expiration of the older version of the N200, N500 and N1,000 banknotes.
A reporter with the ICIR
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