…Says Rivers will join suit
Douglas Blessing
Governor Nyesom Wike has commended the Supreme Court of Nigeria for its decision on the Central Bank of Nigeria’s (CBN) deadline for naira swap.
The Rivers state governor stated that the Supreme Court decision halting the apex bank from banning the use of the old naira notes of N200, N500 and N1000 after February 10, 2023, has saved the nation’s democracy.
Governor Wike made the commendation yesterday, during the State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) campaign flag-off rally held in Abua, Abua/Odual Local Government Area of the state.
“I want to, on behalf of the Rivers State Government, commend the Nigerian Supreme Court for what they have done today (Wednesday) to save the masses of this country and to save democracy.
“Today, the Supreme Court has stopped the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) from embarking on stopping the old Nigerian Naira notes from circulating.”
The Rivers state governor noted that the intervention of the Supreme Court was timely, stressing that there are some elements who have been bent on derailing the ongoing democratic process.
The governor also declared that the Rivers State government will join the three northern states in the suit that is already challenging what the CBN is doing, just as he commended the governments of Kogi, Kaduna and Zamfara for the steps taken so far.
“And let me commend my brother states like Kogi state, like Kaduna, like Zamfara state who took it upon themselves to go and challenge the federal government at the Supreme Court.
“I also want to say that the Rivers State Government will join them in that suit to challenge what the CBN is doing. We will not support anything that will go against the masses, anything that makes the masses to suffer.”
Governor Wike reiterated that the survival of the country’s democracy rests, to a large extent on critical agencies of government that expected to live up to their statutory obligations.
“I have said before, this democracy can only survive with the support of INEC, with the support of security agencies and with the support of the judiciary. With what happened today, the Supreme Court has shown that the hope of the common man lies on the judiciary.”
Governor Wike also clarified that the PDP in Rivers State PDP is not part of the PDP group, if any, that has declared support for the poorly implemented currency redesign policy by the CBN.
“And I want to say, we are not part of that PDP group, if there are, who supporting this kind of action. We PDP in Rivers State, we will not support this kind of action.”
