Tony Okafor, Awka
A senior lawyer in Anambra State, Dr Jezie Ekejiuba, has hailed the three Northern governors that dragged the Federal Government to the Supreme Court over naira redesign.
Ekejiuba, who is also the President of Voters Rights Association of Nigeria (VRAN), said the Nigerian apex court had the jurisdiction to hear the matter since the naira redesign policy was originated by the Federal Government.
He averred that the Central Bank Nigeria (CBN) was merely acting on the Federal Government’s directives to execute the naira change policy of the government.
Describing the Supreme Court’s
Ex- Parte ruling suspending the FG Naira policy as the rule of law in action, the Onitsha -based human rights lawyer said without the court’s intervention, the suffering on the masses occasioned by the policy would have been monumental.
His statement read in part, “Our attention has been drawn to the Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami’s interview on Arise TV yesterday that the Federal Government was hopeful that the Ex- Parte Ruling of the Supreme Court which suspended the February 10 deadline on the old naira notes swap will be upturned on the grounds of lack of jurisdiction and non-joinder of Central Bank of Nigeria,CBN in the suit.
“We adjudge this statement as a propaganda tool to weaken the hopes of the suffering citizenry who are currently tormented by the anti-people’s demonitization policy of President Muhammadu Buhai.By the well founded Ruling of the Supreme court, the people have heaved a sigh of relief emanating from the Supreme court order occasioned by the three Governors case pending at the Supreme court.
“From the online publication of the suit marked SC/CV/162/2023 Attorney-General of Kaduna State & 2 Ors Vs.Attorney- General of the Federation the gravamen of the dispute is clearly all about the complaints against the way and manner the Federal Government of Nigeria demonitization policy is/was being implemented by the FG agency, CBN and the attendant hardship and suffering being visited on the hapless citizens of the respective states of Kaduna, Kogi and Zamfara and by extension throughout the Federation.
“VRAN hereby wishes to give all the praises and thanks to the peoples loving Gov.El Rufai Gov. Bello and Gov. Matawalle of the respective states of Kaduna,Kogi and Zamfara for not standing-by and feeling unconcerned while their subjects are being suffocated and cashtrapped by the draconian naira policy of the Federal Government.The other Governors who have not joined this legal protest has shown that that they are not only wicked and have no feeling for the pains the citizens are currently passing through but are proved to be anti-people.
“We posit that the demonitization policy now in dispute is a policy of the Federation cum Federal Government of Nigeria,FGN headed by President Muhammadu Buhari who gave the initial approval to the Governor of CBN,an agency of FGN to carry out the implimentation of the FGN policy in accordance with the CBN Act.The fact that the CBN is responsible for the implimentation of the FGN policy does not make it a CBN policy.
The lawyer added, “All Nigerians are called upon to pray without ceasing for the success of the Governors case on the merit as there is nothing in Section 232(1) of the 1999 Constitution which provides for the original jurisdiction of the Supreme court that can prevent the Supreme court from hearing the matter on the merit.
“Legally speaking, the naira policy dispute between the Federation represented by the Attorney-General of the Federation and the States represented by the Attorney-General of the respective states pursuant to the original jurisdiction of the Supreme court under Section 232(1) of the 1999 Constitution as amended is well founded.The CBN is not a proper or necessary party to the suit.
“If the Supreme Court has no jurisdiction to hear the matter,it could have suo motu declined jurisdiction to hear the Ex Parte application which gave rise to the suspension order. All the anti- people’s elements propagating that the Supreme court order should not be obeyed are the enemies of the people.The Supreme court was right to have suspended the implimentation of the naira policy since the Constitution gave it the power under the inherent and original jurisdiction of court under Sections 6(6)(a) and 232(1) of the 1999 Constitution to do so.
“Section 6(6)(a) of 1999 Constitution provides:”The judicial powers vested in accordance with the foregoing provisions of this section-shall extend, nothwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Constitution to all inherent powers and sanctions of a court of law.”
“Section 232(1) of the same Constitution provides: ” The Supreme Court shall, to the exclusion of any other court, have original jurisdiction in any dispute between the *Federation* and a *State* or between States if and in so far as that dispute involves any question (whether of law or fact) on which the existence or extent of a legal right depends.”
“The Supreme Court Ruling suspending the Naira policy is nothing but the Rule of law in action.”
