Nigeria President Muhammadu Buhari disobey court order wit im broadcast where im say old 200 naira go continue to be legal tender till April 10, Nigerian lawyer and human rights activist Jiti Ogunye tok.
Di ogbonge Lagos-based lawyer tell BBC Pidgin say wetin President Buhari do get implication even though di Supreme Court no fit sama am wit contempt of court sake of di immunity wey im get.
Dis dey come afta President Buhari on 16 February direct di Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to release di old notes of 200 naira for Nigerians to continue use as legal tender.
”I similarly consult widely wit representatives of di State Govnors as well as di Council of State. Above all, as an administration wey respect di rule of law, I don also note say di subject matter dey before di courts of our land and dem don make some pronouncements.” Di president tok.
Di Supreme court on 15 February bin adjourn sitting to hear di suit wey some state govnors file to challenge di naira swap police.
Earlier, di apex court order make di federal goment and di CBN to suspend di implementation of di deadline for di old naira swap.
Wetin Nigerians fit do?
Di lawyer tok sake of say President Buhari get immunity and dem no fit charge am for contempt of court.
E say wetin Nigerians fit do na to tell dia representatives for di National Assembly to rise to di occasion and use dia resolution and instrumentality of impeachment proceedings to check di excesses of di President.
Ogunye, however, say impeachment proceedings no dey necessary sake of say President Buhari tenure go soon come to an end and election don almost reach.
According to President Buhari, 200 go function as legal tender alongside di new 200, 500 and 1000 naira notes.
E say dis na sake of easing di supply pressure to Nigerians.
“I similarly consult widely wit representatives of di State Governors as well as di Council of State. Above all, as an administration wey respect di rule of law, I don also note say di subject matter dey before di courts of our land and dem don make some pronouncements,” Buhari tok.
President Buhari directive dey come one day afta di Supreme Court bin adjourn di suit challenging di naira swap policy to 22 January.
Di Supreme Court bin earlier ask Federal Goment and di CBN to suspend di naira swap deadline till dem determine di case wey some state govnors file.
Reacting, Ogunye tell BBC Pidgin say di reference wey President Buhari make to di pronouncements of di court and im statement say im respect di rule of law na “mockery of di judiciary”.
Ogunye say Buhari treat di Supreme Court order wit contempt and wetin im do mean say make dis order no dey obeyed.
“Di Supreme Court no give di order for 200 naira notes alone, di order dey all embracing, all encompassing as far as di denominations dey concerned. So wetin di President do na to pick and choose, to say dat dis na wetin I go do and na dis one I no go do. Dis na blatant violation of di rule of law,” Ogunye tok.
Di lawyer tok say Buhari treat di order of di court wit disdain and ridicule and dis one no dey allowed for democracy.
“Sake of say all authorities including di President gazz obey di order of di Supreme Court. If we wan get democracy wey dey governed by di rule of law, everybody, ruler and di ruled gazz dey subject to di dictate of di law,” Ogunye tok.
Anoda Nigerian lawyer Monday Ubani say President Buhari suppose wait for di Supreme to finish dia process instead of directing di CBN to ensure say 200 naira continue to be legal tender.
Ubani say di President no give proper precedent.
Implication of wetin Buhari do
Talking about di implication of President Buhari directive, Ogunye say dis na very bad precedent.
E say e dey very dangerous for president to disobey court order for democracy sake of say democracy no be dictatorship.
“Wetin di President do na to undermine di integrity of di court, di integrity of im pronouncement, to undermine im independence and to subject am to ridicule,” Ogunye tok.
E say wetin President Buhari do suppose dey discouraged by pipo of good conscience wey dey cater for di Nigerian democracy.
Wen be di deadline on old naira notes now?
Wit di president directive, Nigerians go still dey able to spend di old naira notes side by side with the new 200, 500 and 1,000 naira notes, but only for 60 more days.
Di note go become useless after 10 April, 2023.
Now, di old 500 and 1,000 naira no longer dey valid as legal tenders for Nigeria.
Pesin no fit spend am or even carry am go commercial banks to deposit – dis dey against di Supreme court order wey bin ask di federal goment and di CBN to suspend di deadline implementation.
However, anybody wey still get dis old naira notes for hand fit carry go di Central Bank of Nigeria office for dia states to deposit am.
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