Monday Ubani, a human rights lawyer, says President Muhammadu Buhari is in contempt of the Supreme Court for extending only the use of the old N200 notes.
Ubani said Buhari defied the Supreme Court’s ex parte order that all the old N500 and N1,000 should remain in use.
The lawyer said the President should have allowed the judicial process to run its course.
“The President’s announcement this morning to the country is in clear contempt of the Supreme Court’s earlier order restraining the government from. deadlining the old currency notes of 200, 500 and 1000 respectively until the application on notice before it is heard,” Ubani said.
“He should have allowed the judicial process to run through. His intervention though well intended as posited by some economists, sends a dangerous signal in our democracy.
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“The international community are watching seeing how much we mess our system up. It is ill-advised and no lawyer worth his salt should make unfounded allegations of bribery as reason to undermine the judiciary.
“The macro and micro-economic benefits of this naira redesign may be altruistic and good for economic growth in the long run but the poor implementation strategy that has occasioned hardship has taken the shine off the good intentions.
“People are suffering in having access to their money and the central bank that is the culprit is being treated with kid gloves”.
Ubani future Pointed out that the POS agents and the Banks should not be blamed solely for chaos and confusion in the implementation of the policy, adding that the poor implementation strategy of the central bank is too glaring for everyone to see.
“We are hoping that the 200 old notes will now be made available to the citizens to ease their sufferings.
“Finally I need to reiterate that the President erred in law to have subtly overruled the Supreme court’s express order.
“It is contemptuous of the Supreme Court Order. Let us not be carried away that he grudgingly permitted old 200 naira notes to continue to be circulated till sometime in April this year.
“He has breached the Supreme Court Order by that announcement. For me as a lawyer it portends grave danger in our legal system,” he added.
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