Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike has commended the Supreme Court of Nigeria for saving democracy by halting the Central Bank from banning the use of the old naira notes of N200, N500 and N1000 after February 10th 2023.
He 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.
The governor said the intervention of the Supreme Court was timely because there were some elements who have been bent on derailing the ongoing democratic process.
The Governor spoke at the County State School, Emilaghan in Central Abua, venue of Rivers State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) organised campaign flag-off rally in Abua/Odual Local Government Area on Wednesday.
“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”, he said.
“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.”
He reiterated that the survival of the country’s democracy rests, to a large extent on critical agencies of government that were expected to live up to their statutory obligations.
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He added; “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.”
Wike 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.
In his remarks Rivers State governorship candidate of the PDP, Sir Siminialayi Fubara asked the people to secure their votes for him and other PDP candidates, assuring that his administration would sustain the peace in the area by working with traditional rulers and other critical stakeholders.
Fubara also gave the assurance that should there be any uncompleted project in the area that will be inherited, his administration would complete them, among other projects as may be suggested to meet their infrastructural needs.
