Protesters gathered in Abuja on Wednesday to denounce the Supreme Court’s ex parte order that temporarily halted the federal government’s plan to withdraw the old naira notes by February 10, 2023. More than 300 aggrieved youths converged on the headquarters of the Central Bank of Nigeria and the office of the Attorney‑General of the Federation, passing a vote of confidence in the CBN and urging it not to back down.
Holding placards that read “Justice Ariwoola, resist plot to use our Supreme Court to undermine democracy,” the demonstrators accused Chief Justice Olukayode Ariwoola of acting in the interests of the All Progressives Congress, its presidential candidate Bola Tinubu, and the G5 governors. They called on former President Major General Muhammadu Buhari to issue an executive order preventing the old notes from re‑entering circulation.
Obed Agu, leader of the protesters and coordinator of the Civil Society Central Body, appealed to Nigerians not to accept the old naira notes, describing the policy as a scheme to enable corrupt politicians to buy votes. “We call on President Muhammadu Buhari to issue an executive order terminating the February 10 deadline and preventing further extensions,” Agu said. “The Supreme Court’s ex parte application has no legal basis; it is a plot to open bank vaults so vote‑buyers and holders of illicit wealth can obtain cash to purchase votes. We ask the CJN to promptly vacate the order in the overall interest of Nigeria’s election.”
Agu added that the Supreme Court had repeatedly undermined efforts for credible elections, citing the voiding of a card‑reader system that had reduced election‑result rigging and the controversial declaration of a fourth‑place candidate as governor, which he said damaged Imo State and the sanctity of the ballot. “We will not allow the CJN to use the apex office to undermine our democracy or President Buhari’s promise of a peaceful transition,” he concluded.
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