Old naira notes: Wike commends s’court over ruling, says Rivers will join suit

Nyesom Wike, governor of Rivers, has commended the supreme court over its ruling which temporarily restrained the federal government from banning the use of the old naira notes from February 10.

Wike spoke on Wednesday at the Rivers Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) campaign held at County State School, Emilaghan in Abua/Odual LGA of the state.

TheCable had reported how a seven-member panel of the apex court led by John Okoro gave the ruling on Wednesday in an ex parte application brought by Kaduna, Kogi, and Zamfara states.

The three states prayed the court to grant an interim injunction stopping the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) from ending the timeframe within which the old N200, N500, and N1000 notes will cease to be legal tender.

“I want to on behalf of the Rivers state government commend the Nigerian supreme court for what they have done today to save the masses of this country and to save democracy,” Wike said.

“Today, the supreme court has stopped the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) from embarking on stopping the old Nigerian Naira notes from circulating.

“And let me commend my brother states — Kogi, Kaduna, and Zamfara — 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 suffer.

“I have said before, this democracy can only survive with the support of INEC, security agencies, and the judiciary. With what happened today, the supreme court has shown that the hope of the common man lies in the judiciary.”