FCT High Court Has No Right To Compel Federal Agencies To Carry Out Their Constitutional Duties – Keyamo

The Chief Spokesman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council (PCC), Festus Keyamo, has said the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court has no jurisdiction over Federal Agencies in respect of the performance of their constitutional or statutory functions.

Naija News reports that the Minister of State for Labour and Employment stated this in a tweet via its Twitter handle on Monday night.

The APC PCC spokesman added that the court cannot issue any injunctive order to prevent the performance of a statutory duty.

He wrote: “For the records: whilst not commenting on any matter, the FCT High Court has no jurisdiction over Federal Agencies in respect of the performance of their constitutional or statutory functions and it cannot issue any injunctive order to prevent the performance of a statutory duty.”

For the records: whilst not commenting on any matter, the FCT High Court has no jurisdiction over Federal Agencies in respect of the performance of their constitutional or statutory functions and it cannot issue any injunctive order to prevent the performance of a statutory duty

— Festus Keyamo, SAN (@fkeyamo) February 6, 2023

Keyamo stated this hours after the FCT High court stopped the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) from extending the phase-out of the old naira notes.

Delivering a ruling on Monday in a suit marked FCT/HC/CV/2234/2023, Justice Eleojo Enenche compelled the apex bank to go ahead with the full implementation of the naira redesign policy.

The presiding judge also ordered President Muhammadu Buhari and 27 commercial banks from interfering with the deadline or issuing any directive contrary to the said date pending the determination of the suit.

“An order of interim injunction is hereby made restraining the defendants whether by themselves, staff, agents, officers, interfacing banks or whosoever not to suspend, stop, extend, vary or interfere with the extant termination date of use of the old N200, N500, and N1000 bank note being 10th day of February 2023, pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice,” the judge held.

The judge also made an order of interim injunction “directing and mandating the defendants whether by themselves, staff, agents, officers, interfacing banks or whosoever described to comply with, implement and give effect to the currency redesign and restructuring of the old N200, N500, and N1000 bank note on or before the last day of 10th of February, 2023, pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice”.

The court further directed the bank heads, chief executive officers, managing directors, and/or alter egos “to forthwith show cause as to why they shall not be arrested and prosecuted for the economic and financial sabotage of the Federal Republic of Nigeria by their illegal act of hoarding, withholding, nor paying or disbursing the new N200, N500, and N1000 bank note, being the legal tender of the federal republic of Nigeria to their respective customers, despite supplies of each such currency note by the 2nd and 3rd defendants, thereby leading to the present scarcity of currency notes in circulation”.