The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Abdullahi Adamu and the Progressive Governors Forum (PGF) on Sunday called for compliance by the Federal Government to the Supreme Court order on the controversial naira swap policy.
The call came on the heels of a meeting between Adamu and the APC governors in Abuja over a policy that seemingly deepens the rift between the Presidency and governors under the party.
On 8 February, the Supreme Court granted an interim order suspending the 10 February ultimatum of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) for the old N200, N500, and N1,000 to cease being legal tender. CBN Governor, Mr Godwin Emefiele however insisted on the deadline.
However, President Muhammadu Buhari announced last Thursday that only the old N200 notes would be allowed to remain in circulation with the new denominations for only 60 days, a position that has drawn criticism from members of the President’s own cabinet.
Some of the APC governors, who led the charge against President Buhari’s stance are Nasir El-Rufai (Kaduna), Yahaya Bello (Kogi), Bello Matawalle (Zamfara), Abdullahi Ganduje (Kano) and Dapo Abiodun (Ogun).
Reading the resolution of the meeting with the PGF, the APC national chairman said: “We note very seriously that the currency redesign is causing tremendous difficulty to Nigerians.
“We urge the Attorney General of the Federation and the Central Bank Governor to respect the supreme court order of interim injunction which is still subsisting.
“The meeting is urging President Buhari to intervene in resolving the issues causing great difficulty to Nigerians”.
The policy, spearheaded by the CBN, seeks to alleviate vote-buying and tackle hoarding of illicit funds with its issue of the redesigned N200, N500 and N1,000 banknotes.
The three-month notice for Nigerians to exchange the old currency for the redesigned notes was undercut by an interim injunction of the Supreme Court suspending the implementation of the policy.
Amid the standoff between the governors and the Federal Government, currency scarcity has led to riots breaking out across the country, as crowds inundate branches of the apex bank in an attempt to turn in their old notes.
