…Keep mum over currency face-off
From Romanus Ugwu, Abuja
The last may not have been heard about the Naira redesign controversy rocking the the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the party’s national leadership, yesterday held a meeting with the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), Abubakar Malami, and four APC state governors that instituted the case in Supreme Court.
In attendance for the meeting held at the national secretariat of the party include governors Nasir El-Rufai, Kaduna, Bello Matawalle, Zamfara, Yahaya Bello, Kogi and Abubakar Atiku Bagudu, Kebbi states, who doubles as chairman, Progressive Governors Forum (PGF), Malami and the national leadership of the ruling party.
Although they bluntly declined comment on the deliberations and outcome of the meeting, dependable sources claimed that it was a follow up to the meeting the party’s leadership held with the governors on Sunday evening.
About 12 state governors and two deputies had on Sunday held several hours meeting with the leadership of the ruling party, and directed both President Muhammadu Buhari and the AGF to obey the Supreme Court order.
Apparently rattled by the resolutions of the party’s leadership and the governors during the Sunday meeting, another meeting, involving the AGF, the chairman of PGF, and the governors that instituted the litigation were part of the meeting.
Our source said that the trust of the meeting was to explore the option of out of court settlement on the lingering legal controversy.
“I can inform you that the deliberations centred around the option of exploring out of court settlement. What I don’t know is whether they have been able to agree. The discussion will however continue,” our source noted.
Chairman of the party had after the meeting with the governors, said: “I am sure you are quite aware of the fact that a meeting comprising of APC governors was held today and the leadership of the NWC of our great party was summoned this afternoon.
“We had discussion and at the end of the discussion, we have resolved as follows and this resolution is without prejudice or whatsoever the case that is lying at the supreme court at this point in time. This has to do with the issue of currency redesign.
“We note very seriously that the programme and its implementation is causing tremendous difficulties to the people of Nigeria and to the national economy. We urge the Attorney General of the Federation and the Governor of the CBN to respect the Supreme Court order of Interim injunction which is still subsisting.
“That the meeting is urging Mr President to intervene in resolving issues that are causing this great difficulties to the economy,” the ruling party’s boss said.