FG IS NOT IN VIOLATION OF THE SUPREME COURT'S CASH SWAP ORDER - MALAMI

Abubakar Malami

According to the Federal Government, it is not in violation of the Supreme Court's decision prohibiting it from enforcing the deadline for old N1000, N500, and N200 notes on February 10.

Abubakar Malami, Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation, presented the stance of the Federal Government while a guest on the weekly Ministerial Briefing hosted by the Presidential Media Team at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.

"Your question can best be answered within the context of what constitutes a rule of law in the Nigerian situation. Where an order is made by a court, you have multiple options but let me state before even addressing the issue of support your position, to apply for setting it aside. The position of the law, legal jurisprudence is clear. Once you are attacking and you seeking for setting aside of an existing order of the court, you cannot be said to be operating in breach when you presented your application for setting aside.

However and, in response to inquiries on claims that the President and his administration violated a Supreme Court order, Malami stated: "If the court is not an apex court, you equally have a right of appeal and support the right of appeal with an application of stay of execution order. So the bottom line of what I'm trying to state. If the matter is sub-judice and within the context of the rule of law, we are doing the needful as a government, in terms of ensuring that the right of the government, within the context of the naira redesign, is being protected. 

So we are not in breach."

"If the court is not an apex court, you equally have a right of appeal and support the right of appeal with an application of stay of execution order. So the bottom line of what I'm trying to state. If the matter is sub-judice and within the context of the rule of law, we are doing the needful as a government, in terms of ensuring that the right of the government, within the context of the naira redesign, is being protected. So we are not in breach"