The Supreme Court has adjourned the suit filed by some state governments to challenge the 10 February deadline set by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to end the use of old naira notes.
A seven-member panel of the court led by John Okoro adjourned the case on Wednesday until 22 February, dashing the hope of many Nigerians who were anticipating another definite pronouncement aimed at resolving the cash crunch debacle the CBN policy has created for weeks.
Many believe that a further adjournment of the hearing and final resolution of the case by the court will deepen the hardships many Nigerians are grappling with as a result of the naira redesign policy of the CBN.
The panel adjourned the case on Wednesday over a series of parties that have shown interest to join the suit.
The suit was filed by Kaduna, Kogi and Zamfara states. But more states including Ondo and Katsina have since indicated to be joined as interested parties to the suit.
On 8 February 8, exactly a week ago, the Supreme Court granted an ex parte application suspending the implementation of the 10 February deadline set by the CBN to end the legal tender status of the old N200, N500, and N1,000 notes.
But both the CBN and President Muhammadu Buhari who approved the police have failed to enforce the court order leaving Nigerians to grapple with unprecedented hardships in meeting their daily basic needs.
The court gave the order on Wednesday, following an ex parte request filed by the Kaduna, Kogi and Zamfara state governments against the federal government.
Due to the chaos triggered by the nationwide scarcity of the redesigned naira notes, the three state governments, governed by All Progressives Congress (APC), sued the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), lamenting immeasurable hardship unleashed on their citizens by the currency scarcity.
The plaintiffs in one of their filings contended that “there is no justifiable basis for the ongoing difficulties and suffering being meted out on the …good people of Kaduna, Kogi and Zamfara States by the federal government.”
Many Nigerians had hoped that the Supreme Court would make another pronouncement to intervene in the stalemate on Wednesday.
Governors El-Rufai, Yahaya Bello in court
