Abubakar Malami, the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice of Nigeria, requested that the Nigerian Supreme Court reject a lawsuit filed by the states of Kaduna, Zamfara, and Kogi regarding the lack of old and new Naira notes as a result of the Central Bank of Nigeria’s (CBN) naira redesign policy.
In court documents dated February 8, 2023, which Channels TV published Wednesday night, Malami claimed that the plaintiffs had failed to establish a sufficient basis for a claim against the defendant.
The state governments said they sued for a restraining order by the Supreme Court to compel the government and CBN from enforcing the policy as concerns grow over the effects the CBN naira redesign policy is having on the residents of their states. As a result, Nigeria’s Supreme Court temporarily halted any plans to ban the use of the old naira notes across the country.
According to the report, the AGF filed the preliminary objection through his attorneys Mahmud Magaji and Tijanni Gazali. Citing that the Supreme Court lacks jurisdiction over such financial matters, the court on Wednesday temporarily put a stop to any plans to outlaw the use of old naira notes throughout the nation.
A seven-member panel led by Justice John Okoro decided on Wednesday morning, stopping an exparte application filed by the three northern states of Kaduna, Kogi, and Zamfara.
In addition, Justice Okoro postponed the case until February 15 so that the main lawsuit could be heard.
