New Naira: Baba-Ahmed Faults Buhari For Overruling Supreme Court Order

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New Naira: Baba-Ahmed Faults Buhari For Overruling Supreme Court Order

The vice-presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Yusuf Datti-Ahmed, has faulted President Muhammadu Buhari's order overruling the Supreme Court of Nigeria on the naira redesign policy.

This is as Datti-Ahmed lashed out at Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, for giving a counter-directive to Buhari’s pronouncement asking Kaduna residents to continue using the currency that ceased to be legal tender.

He said El-Rufai’s directive amounts to “treason”.

Buhari on Thursday announced that the N500 and N1000 Naira would cease to be a legal tender while and extended the N200 note validity till April 10.

But late on Thursday night, El-Rufai issued a counter directive to Kaduna people to continue using the old N500 and N1000 notes.

Addressing a press conference on Friday in Abuja, Datti-Ahmed said Buhari’s decision was “unfortunate”.

He said, “To me, I think it was unfortunate for Mr President took action on what is before the Supreme Court.

“It was very strange for the Attorney-General of the federation to allow Mr President to proceed with yesterday’s national broadcast, to say the least, it was unfortunate. The least I know is that when a competent court of law, like the Supreme Court, is addressing an issue, all parties stay action until that court decides, how much more of a Commander-in-Chief aided with all instruments of government.

“However, we have been more than bewildered by the poor quality of leadership in Nigeria. That is the only thing that can explain this phenomenon that Supreme Court is entertaining a matter and a Commander-in-Chief goes out and take another action on that same matter before the Supreme Court. This is classic poor-quality leadership and it is a standard hallmark of what we have been witnessing.

On the Kaduna State governor, he pointed out that “Anybody who commits this kind of indiscipline under our leadership, the full weight of the law will take its course. We have been more than bewildered at the failures we have witnessed in the past few days.

“However, it is more of an act of treason, so to say it is an act of treason. If an elected governor of a constituent part of a sovereign country will give direct instructions to the contrary of what is the exclusive preserve of the Federal government.

“Buhari’s government was duly elected and sworn in and currency matters are sovereign issues, no state governor, especially those who have serially failed in implementing court judgements in their political career has the right to challenge the government.”