By Eben Enasco
But looking at the past antecedents of the Former FCT Minister who among others rushed to Supreme Court to obtain an order restraining the CBN from stopping the cash swap, one would conclude that he should be the last in mind to now believe that the judiciary has the power to regulate matters. As the former FCT Minister, he disobeyed all Court orders and demolished the houses of people, disobeyed all Court orders given to restore staff who went on strike, he never paid any compensation to anyone who secured any Court order over his land. As a Governor of Kaduna state, he disobeyed court order in the conduct of local Government elections at the time it was given, disobeyed the Court order that restrained him from sacking Teachers and Civil servants in Kaduna state. He also disobeyed the Court order that demanded the reinstatement of sacked Teachers and Civil servants, he disobeyed the Court order that restrained him from demolition of houses at Graceland Zaria and houses belonging to people in Kaduna city. Furthermore, he disobeyed Court orders that restrained him from seizing shops belonging to traders, disobeyed Court orders made in favor of traditional rulers in Kaduna State. Above all, Nasir El-Rufai was the same man who threw out the late Justice Bashir Sambo from his residence against a Court order. Governor El-rufai is the same person who cast aspersions against the judgement of the Industrial Court. It is obvious that Governor El Rufai lacks moral rights to approach the Supreme Court to restrain the CBN financial Policy and expect compliance, because he doesn’t believe in the rule of law and has no respect for the judiciary.
Nigerians are expected to choose new leaders that will carry out the tasks of governance in less than a week but not without the insensitive attributes of the political class who are ardent manipulators.
The past weeks in the history of Nigeria’s Politics and Economic activities have been tempting and devastating to comprehend as political gladiators seem to have taken the center stage to show off their power tussles.
After weeks of back and forth, marred by protests of all sorts across the country that resulted in the death of some citizens, over the unavailability of redesigned naira notes, President Muhammdu Buhari in a nationwide broadcast of last Thursday, delivered the last upper gash.
The president, citing the frustration orchestrated by the scarcity of the new naira notes reiterated that in line with Section 20 subsection 3 of the CBN Act 2007, all existing old N1000 and N500 notes remain redeemable at the CBN and designated points.
Buhari relaxed his decision to make old 1000, 500, and 200 naira notes unfit as legal tender after the rising tension limited his resolve when he declared the redesigned 200 naira notes to coexist with other new note.
He said, however, the old N200 notes will remain valid for the next 60 days.
However, he did not allow the continued use of the old N500 and N1,000 notes, only saying the CBN would continue to accept them.
His position on this comes on the backdrop of the Supreme court restraining an earlier decision of the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, Deadline of February 10, 2023, to withdraw the old naira notes from circulation, as challenged in the suit by governors from the northern part of the country.
Recall that, on 26 October 2022, the Central Bank of Nigeria announced the introduction of redesigned 200, 500, and 1,000 naira notes into the country’s financial system.
But since the notes were unveiled, Nigerians across different parts of the country have been struggling to access them from banks and ATM cash points, a development that had further waned the trust for government policies.
Three state governments namely, Kaduna, Kogi, and Zamfara, took the front burner suing the federal government at the Supreme Court over what they claimed is the hardship occasioned by the scarcity of the redesigned naira notes on the masses, even though the footprint clearly shows is a measure intended for their political benefits.
In the suit, the plaintiffs listed the Attorney-General of the Federation AGF as the sole defendant.
The case was predicated on Section 6 subsection 6 of the Nigerian constitution. The plaintiffs also cited Section 22 of the Supreme Court Act as the basis for lodging the case.
Since President Buhari’s Thursday, nationwide broadcast, reactions have trailed his decision to remain adamant for too long.
The president was accused of working against his party and its Presidential standard bearer, Senator and ex Lagos State Governor, Amhed Bola Tinubu.
Prominent among the numerous challengers are the Governors of Kaduna state, Nasir El-Rufai and Abdullahi Ganduje of Kanu State who had been accusing President Muhammadu Buhari of planning to stage an interim government alleging also that cabals have taken over the government.
Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai has been vocal, pointing to the presidency of flouting Court orders and ordering the people of Kaduna to ignore the president’s nation-wide broadcast.
In series of statements released by the Governor, one thing was persistent, the ability to muster courage in urging his people to continue to see 1000 and 500 naira notes as a legal tender in Kaduna, a development suggesting an over turn of the powers of the President who in his statement declared same unfit as Legal Tender.
But looking at the past antecedents of the Former FCT Minister who among others rushed to Supreme Court to obtain an order restraining the CBN from stopping the cash swap, one would conclude that he should be the last in mind to now believe that the judiciary has the power to regulate matters.
As the former FCT Minister, he disobeyed all Court orders and demolished the houses of people, disobeyed all Court orders given to restore staff who went on strike, he never paid any compensation to anyone who secured any Court order over his land.
As a Governor of Kaduna state, he disobeyed court order in the conduct of local Government elections at the time it was given, disobeyed the Court order that restrained him from sacking Teachers and Civil servants in Kaduna state.
He also disobeyed the Court order that demanded the reinstatement of sacked Teachers and Civil servants, he disobeyed the Court order that restrained him from demolition of houses at Graceland Zaria and houses belonging to people in Kaduna city.
Furthermore, he disobeyed Court orders that restrained him from seizing shops belonging to traders, disobeyed Court orders made in favor of traditional rulers in Kaduna State.
Above all, Nasir El-Rufai was the same man who threw out the late Justice Bashir Sambo from his residence against a Court order.
Governor El-rufai is the same person who cast aspersions against the judgement of the Industrial Court.
It is obvious that Governor El Rufai lacks moral rights to approach the Supreme Court to restrain the CBN financial Policy and expect compliance, because he doesn’t believe in the rule of law and has no respect for the judiciary.
But in what seems to be a defense for the decision of the president, two state governments, Edo and Bayelsa states have continued to pitch tent with the CBN, and Buhari, declaring it as a policy capable of curbing votes buying.
Questions have been raised by concerned Nigerians, on who to obey, given the parallel orders. One from the presidency and the other one coming from state governors who have no constitutional rights to wave off the order of a president.
The action of the President is seen as very good by most elites, but described the implementation as disastrous considering the hardships, while in some quarters, what president Buhari has done is enough to impeach him in a sane clime.
Haven flouted the Supreme Court order restraining his government and his agency from carrying out the Ban on naira notes, they are of the opinion that, if the country is blessed with courageous legislators, the situation would have been properly interpreted.
The separation of power is clear about the operational transition.
In the Quadrangle of power, no arms of government should be seen higher than the other. The various arms are meant to check one another from the Constitution angle to give a fair balance to democratic process.
It’s correct to thank the government for staking serious advancement in the fight against vote buying that have the potential of causing rage in society. But seeing it as a political gameistry to cajole the larger society is a fundamental issue of great concern.
So, as much as people may not give this much importance, and given the frailties shown by the leaders in the last few weeks, the hope inside the common man’s camp would have risen because there is another chance to change the gameistry at the Poll this weekend.
However, knowing the fact that we are alive in all fronts, we cannot look too far ahead.
The next big game is around the corner, which is the return of the poll and expectations are high to change this deformity in the Nigerian democratic System.
