Taiwo Amodu – Abuja
Prince John Mayaki, leader of the All Progressive Congress from Edo, accused President Muhammadu Buhari of making a statement absolving the central bank governor from responsibility for disobeying the Supreme Court’s judgment on the old naira notes.
The Supreme Court ruled on March 3 that the old naira notes remain legal tender until December 31, 2023.
Eleven days after the verdict, following a public outcry, President Buhari exonerated himself through one of his spokesmen, Mallam Garba Shehu, saying top banks and other federal agencies did not need to listen to his instructions before complying with government orders.
Addressing reporters in Abuja on Wednesday, the APC chief asked President Buhari to sack Attorney General and Union Attorney-General Abubakar Marami (SAN) and CBN Governor Godwin Emefiler to convince Nigerians he did not know Their disobedience to the order of the Supreme Court.
He said: “In order to fully redeem himself and prove that he was not part of a nefarious conspiracy against ordinary Nigerians and small businesses across the country, he must hold accountable those responsible for this destruction in accordance with his constitutional powers and duties as the leader of the country .
“To put it bluntly, what we as Nigerians demand is that there must be a reckoning with the catastrophe of the past few months – and that there must be a clear response from Mr Godwin Emefil and his main supporter, Malami Abubakar. (Malami Abubakar) culprit begins, honorable Attorney General who failed to stand out in this tragic disaster.
“The President must go beyond statements and take actions and measures to restore confidence and hope in the judiciary and our battered economy. This starts with the immediate sacking of Mr. Emefiele and Malami Abubakar.
“The reasons for this are self-explanatory. Not only Godwin Emefiele, but the central banker turned politician has done almost irreparable damage to the country’s economy and destroyed small businesses , and condemned the inevitable reliance on cash for Nigerians to starve to death.
“He has also achieved the opposite of what he was appointed to do, which is to design and implement monetary policy to promote stability and investment. The country has been pushed off a cliff and investors have fled. As the most notorious Central bank governor, Emefel has no objective reason to remain in his position.
“As for Minister Malami, his dodgy interpretation of the law and questionable devotion to political interests that are clearly at odds with the well-being of the nation show that his commitment is primarily for his shadowy political ambitions, not for the rule of law and the public interest.
“For that, he must relieve himself of his role, must allow his attention and questionable abilities to focus on the selfish ambitions he has been targeting since the day he was sworn in.
“In order for the President to fully absolve himself of guilt, he should immediately sack his Attorney General Mr Abubakar Malami and CBN Governor Godwin Emefiele.”
Mayaki further urged the federal government to ensure that helpless Nigerians have access without delay to their hard-earned money kept in bank vaults, saying “unnecessary queues must be cleared immediately from banks, petrol stations, ATMs, hospitals, markets/ Shopping malls disappear, PoS, etc.
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