Senior Advocate of Nigeria Ebun‑Olu Adegboruwa has called President Major General Muhammadu Buhari’s announcement that only the old N200 banknote remains legal tender—a decision that excludes the old N500 and N1,000 notes—a contempt of court. Adegboruwa, a lawyer and activist, argues that the president cannot overrule the Supreme Court of Nigeria.
Twelve state governors have taken the Federal Government to the Supreme Court over the Central Bank of Nigeria’s naira redesign policy, which introduced new N200, N500 and N1,000 banknotes and stipulated that the old notes would cease to be legal tender from 10 February 2023. On Wednesday, the Supreme Court adjourned the case to 22 February 2023.
In a nationwide address on Thursday morning, President Buhari announced that the old N200 note would remain legal tender until 10 April, but that the old N500 and N1,000 notes would not. Reacting to this, Adegboruwa issued a statement criticizing the president for flouting the principle of separation of powers. He noted that under section 235 of the 1999 Constitution, the Supreme Court is the final authority on legal pronouncements in Nigeria, and under section 287(1) the president is statutorily obliged to obey, enforce, and give effect to Supreme Court decisions. Section 287(1) states: “The decisions of the Supreme Court shall be enforced in any part of the Federation by all authorities and persons, and by courts with subordinate jurisdiction to that of the Supreme Court.”
Adegboruwa described the president’s broadcast as “sad for our democracy,” emphasizing that the matter is subjudice and that the president should not have varied the Supreme Court’s order. He warned that allowing citizens to disregard lawful court orders would encourage anarchy and lawlessness. According to Adegboruwa, the president’s selective enforcement of the court’s ruling amounts to executive rascality, contempt, and a brazen disregard for the Supreme Court. He urged the president to reverse his directive and include the old N500 and N1,000 notes, warning that if he does not, the Supreme Court should overrule the presidential directive when the case is heard on 22 February.
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