President Muhammadu Buhari is being sued by the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) for his “illegal directive banning the use of old N500 and N1,000 banknotes, contrary to the interim injunction given by the Supreme Court that the old N200, N500, and N1000 notes remain legal cash.”
The suit was filed on behalf of SERAP by its lawyers Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa, SAN, and Kolawole Oluwadare.
The Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, SAN, as well as the Central Bank of Nigeria, have been added to the lawsuit as defendants.
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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 on Thursday directed the CBN to recirculate only the old N200 banknotes, 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 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 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.”
No date has been fixed for the hearing of the suit.
