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| A photo combination of SERAP’s logo and President Muhammadu Buhari |
Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has
filed a lawsuit against President Muhammadu Buhari over “the unlawful
directive banning the use of old N500 and N1,000 banknotes, contrary to
the interim injunction granted by the Supreme Court that the old N200,
N500, and N1000 notes remain legal tender.”
Joined in the suit as Defendants are the Attorney General of the
Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, SAN, and the
Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
The Supreme Court in a case initially brought by 10 states recently
held that the old banknotes remain legal tender pending the
determination of a motion on notice fixed for February 22. The deadline
for the swap of the old notes expired February 10.
However, Buhari in a national broadcast last week directed the CBN to
recirculate only the old N200 banknotes, thereby overruling the Supreme
Court and banning the use of old N500 and N1,000 notes in the country.
In the suit number FHC/ABJ/CS/233/2023 filed last Friday at the
Federal High Court, Abuja SERAP is asking the court to determine
“whether President Buhari’s directive banning the N500 and N1,000
banknotes is not inconsistent and incompatible with the constitutional
duties to obey decisions of the Supreme Court and oath of office.”
SERAP is asking the court for “a declaration that President Buhari’s
directive banning the use of old N500 and N1,000 banknotes is a
fundamental breach of section 287(1) of the Nigerian Constitution 1999
[as amended] and his constitutional oath of office, and therefore
unconstitutional, unlawful, null and void.”
SERAP is seeking “an order of interim injunction restraining
President Buhari, the CBN and Mr Malami, their agents or privies from
further enforcing the presidential directive banning the old N500 and
N1,000 banknotes, pending the hearing and determination of the motion on
notice filed contemporaneously in this suit.”
In the suit, SERAP is arguing that: “Upholding the rule of law is the
cornerstone of Nigeria’s constitutional democracy. President Buhari and
other public officials and authorities have a binding legal
responsibility to strictly comply with the rule of law and obey the
decisions by the Supreme Court, and all other courts.”
SERAP is also arguing that, “The directive to ban the use of N500 and
N1000 banknotes, contrary to the interim injunction by the Supreme
Court, is ultra vires – beyond the constitutional and legitimate powers
of President Buhari and the government.”
The suit filed on behalf of SERAP by its lawyers Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa,
SAN, and Kolawole Oluwadare, read in part: “It is a very serious matter
for anyone to flout a positive order of a court.”
“President Buhari’s directive undermines the authority and
independence of the judiciary, which is an underlying constitutional
principle intended to ensure that government is conducted according to
law, and to prevent the arbitrary exercise of powers or discretion by
public officials and authorities.”
“An order of Court must be obeyed even if such an order is perverse,
until such a time that the order is set aside by a competent court. A
flagrant flouting of an order of the court by the executive is an
invitation to anarchy.”
“The rule of law makes all government officials, including the
President and other officials, answerable for their acts in the ordinary
courts. The law must apply to everybody; nobody is above the law.”
“Section 281(1) of the Nigerian Constitution provides that, ‘the
decisions of the Supreme Court shall be enforced in any part of the
Federation by all authorities and persons, and by courts with
subordinate jurisdiction to that of the Supreme Court.”
“Under 318 (1) of the Nigerian Constitution, ‘decision’ means in
relation to a court, any determination of that court and includes
judgement decree, order, conviction, sentence or recommendation.”
“It is the duty of the government to allow the law to take its course
or allow the legal and judicial process to run its full course.”
“The directive by President Buhari to ban the use of the old N500 and
N1000 banknotes can have no other interpretation than the show of
intention to pre-empt the final decision of the Supreme Court in this
case.”
“The courts expect the utmost respect of the law from the government itself which rules by the law.”
“The rule of law is essential in a constitutional democracy such as
we have in this country for the protection of the rights of citizens and
for checking arbitrary use of power by the executive or its agencies.”
“It is a necessary implication of the rule of law that, except where
the law gives a discretion to a public functionary, he can only act in
accordance with the law, as to do otherwise may enthrone arbitrariness.”
“The Defendants are public officers who have sworn the constitutional
oath office to perform their respective duties in the interest of the
Nigerian citizens.”
“This suit is not challenging the statutory power of the Central Bank
of Nigeria, acting on the directive of the President, to change the
currency and denomination banknotes in Nigeria.”
“Unless the reliefs sought are granted, the Defendants will continue
to violate constitutional provisions and disobey the order of the
Supreme Court as implied by the directive of the President in his
address to the nation on 16 February, 2023.”
SERAP is also asking the court for the following reliefs:
A DECLARATION that by virtue of section 287(1) of the Nigerian
Constitution 1999, President Buhari, the CBN and Mr Malami have a
constitutional duty to obey and enforce any decisions and orders of the
Supreme Court, particularly the order allowing the use of old N200, N500
and N1,000 banknotes;
AN ORDER restraining and stopping the CBN from carrying out and giving
effect to the directive of the President directing and approving that
the old N500 and N1,000 banknotes are no longer legal tender and the old
N200 banknote will cease to be legal tender on 10 April 2023, in
compliance with the order of the Supreme Court of Nigeria made on 8
February, 2023 in Suit Number SC/CV/162/2023– Attorney General of Kaduna
State & 2 Ors v. Attorney General of the Federation;
AN ORDER mandating the CBN to direct all commercial banks in Nigeria to
accept and give out the old N200, N500, and N1,000 banknotes as legal
tender concurrently along with the new banknotes of the same
denomination in line with the order of the Supreme Court of Nigeria made
on 8 February, 2023 in Suit Number SC/CV/162/2023 – Attorney General of
Kaduna State & 2 Ors v. Attorney General of the Federation;
ANY ORDER(S) that the Honorable Court may deem fit to make in the circumstance of this suit.
No date has been fixed for the hearing of the suit.
