The Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), Abubakar Malami, has called on the Supreme Court to dismiss a suit challenging the 10 February deadline set by the Central Bank Of Nigeria (CBN) to end the legal tender status of the old versions of some newly designed currency notes.
Malami on Wednesday argued that the Supreme Court lacks jurisdiction to hear the suit.
The suit was filed by three states – Kaduna, Kogi and Zamfara States, all in the northern part of Nigeria and controlled by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
The respondent maintains that the case is not a dispute between the federation and the state governments, but merely an issue about CBN’s policy.
It says the suit is, therefore, not qualified to be taken directly to the Supreme Court for adjudication. It argues that the suit ought to have been commenced at the Federal High Court.
The Attorney-General of the Federation who sued as the sole defendant as the representative of the federal government filed his opposition to the suit as a preliminary objection against it at the Supreme Court on Wednesday.
Malami’s filings came hours after the Supreme Court granted a request by the three state governments for an order temporarily halting the CBN’s plan to end the use of the old currency notes on February 10.