The Edo and Bayelsa States have joined the Federal Government at the supreme court to defend a suit filed by some State governors on the implementation of the Cashless Policy of the Central Bank of Nigeria CBN.
The two state governments in a separate application announced support for the Federal Government and asked the court to join them as respondents in the matter. However, Six other states, Lagos, Cross Rivers, Ogun,Ekiti, Ondo and Sokoto joined their counterparts, Kaduna, Kogi, and Zamfara in the legal battle against the Federal Government..
The six states in their respective motions for joinder pitched their tents with the three aggrieved states that initially started the legal battle. Justice John Okoro who presided over the matter granted the applications for joinder and directed the parties to amen their processes.
Kogi governor Yahaya Bello and his counterpart from Kaduna, El Rufai attended the court sitting. Meanwhile, hearing in the suit has been shifted to Wednesday February 22 following consensus by the parties. In another development, Rivers State has filed a separate suit against the Federal Government on the same matter.
The state government through its counsel, Emmanuel Ukala indicated interest to file its case separately. Recall that the Supreme Court in a unanimous ruling on February 6, granted an interim injunction restraining the FG, CBN, commercial banks and others from implementing the February 10 deadline for the old 200, 500 and 1000 Naira notes to stop being a legal tender.
