Estimated reading time: 8 minute(s)
Adetutu Sobowale
A civil society group, Rule of Law Advocacy and Accountability Centre (RULAAC), has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to take action against the Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, and the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele, for disregarding Supreme Court ruling on the naira notes.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, RULAAC’s Executive Director, Okechukwu Nwanguma, faulted the President’s spokesperson, Garba Shehu for defending Buhari’s alleged inaction, saying that Malami and Emefiele were ultimately accountable to the President.
It could be recalled that the Supreme Court had on March 3, 2023, declared as invalid Buhari’s directive on February 16 that invalidated the N500 and N1,000 notes (except for N200 notes, which he said were valid until April 10).
The court ruled that the old notes remain legal tender until December 31, 2023, as a result of lack of due consultation.
RULAAC lamented that the AGF and CBN governor had shown disregard for the rule of law, despite being public officials whose actions should be subject to presidential oversight. The group also accused Buhari of failing to uphold previous court judgments, including the release of detained activists Omoyele Sowore, Sheikh El-Zakzaky, and Nnamdi Kanu.
The CSO urged Buhari to demonstrate his commitment to the rule of law and good governance by taking disciplinary action against Malami and Emefiele, in line with their constitutional obligations.
The statement reads in part, “It does not make sense for President Buhari’s spokesperson to make excuses for the President, saying he did not direct the Central Bank Governor or the Attorney General of the Federation to disobey Court Orders.
“Ultimately, the buck stops on the President’s table and what Nigerians want to hear, is what the President has done to call to order, lawless officials of his government under his supervision when they act wrongfully. This is the only way to demonstrate that he does not endorse lawlessness.
“Above all, the President needs to lead by example by demonstrating that he has respect for, and is subject to the rule of law, and that he stands against disobedience to court orders. We didn’t see the President demonstrate this when the courts gave repeated orders for the release of Omoyele Sowore, Dasuki, El Zak-zakay, and Nnamdi Kanu.
“In the case of Nnamdi Kanu who remains in illegal detention in contemptuous disregard of the multiple orders of the Appeal Court, the orders of international courts have also been ignored.
“Let Buhari demonstrate to Nigerians that he stands against disobedience to court orders and that he respects the rule of law by taking actions against the Attorney-General and the CBN governor and by complying with subsisting court orders to release Nnamdi Kanu.”
Estimated reading time: 1 minute(s)
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