Nigeria’s Supreme Court has adjourned to Friday, March 3, 2023, the suit by 10 states challenging the implementation of the naira redesign policy of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

The apex court while consolidating the suits by the 10 states as well as those by Edo and Bayelsa States in support of the Federal Government, warned that it cannot be used as a scapegoat in the case.

It, however, declined to grant the request by Abia State to be joined in the suit on the grounds that it came late with its originating summons.

Counsel to the Federal Government, Kanu Agabi said that the Supreme Court held that all the reliefs sought by the plaintiffs are rooted in section 20 of the CBN Act, therefore, the apex court has no jurisdiction to hear the suit as the action cannot commence with an originating summons.

Kano, Kaduna and Zamfara States had instituted legal proceedings at the Supreme Court challenging the implementation of the naira redesign policy embarked upon by the CBN.

They were later joined by Cross River, Sokoto, Lagos, Ogun, Katsina, Ondo and Ekiti States, bringing the total number of plaintiffs, which were predominantly of the All Progressives Congress (APC), to 10 with Sokoto as the only PDP State.

The plaintiffs predicated their suit on the sufferings which Nigerians were facing due to the naira redesign policy, stressing that the CBN should have considered the welfare of Nigerians before embarking on the policy.

Agabi, who noted that the plaintiffs made reference to the CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele, 32 times in their originating summons, wondered why they did not bring him to court as a respondent.

He disclosed that the reliefs are against the CBN, yet they didn’t deem it fit to bring the CBN into the matter, adding that Nigerians had already began rejecting the old notes way before the President’s directive.

The former Attorney General and Minister of Justice of the Federation insisted that the President is not in violation of the Supreme Court order as under the constitution, the President is empowered to veto any legislation.

On their part, counsels for Edo and Bayelsa States agreed with the Federal Government and counsel to the Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, that the suit be dismissed for lack of jurisdiction.