Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has declared that the old N500 and N1,000 notes remain legal tender in the state.

El-Rufai, who urged the people of Kaduna State to continue spending the old N500 and N1,000 notes, said the denominations are still legal tender in Kaduna State until the Supreme Court pronounces otherwise.

He said this in a state broadcast on Thursday.

The governor stated that the address by President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday morning limiting the legal tender status of old notes to only N200 was a total disregard and disobedience of the Supreme Court ruling on February 8, 2023, which was extended further on Wednesday by the apex court.

Governor El-Rufai said: “For the avoidance of doubt, all the old and new notes shall remain in use as legal tender in Kaduna State until the Supreme Court of Nigeria decides otherwise.

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“I, therefore, appeal to all residents of Kaduna State to continue to use the old and new notes side by side without any fear.

“The Kaduna State Government and its agencies shall seal any facility that refuses to accept the old notes as legal tender and prosecute the owners. If need be, we shall take further consequential actions according to the law.

“While urging you all not to fall for these antics of the enemies of Nigeria, please be patient and continue to exercise resilience in the face of open provocation and deliberate disinformation. We encourage you to be ready with your PVC to vote in the February 25 Presidential and National Assembly elections.

“We are doing all we can to ensure that it is peaceful, orderly, and hitch-free. I appeal to you to understand the shenanigans of these unpatriotic elements in Abuja and ensure you vote massively for the intended victims of these last-minute policies of needless hardship and incitement of the citizens – our party, the APC, and its candidates in all the elections,” El-Rufai stated.

It would be recalled that President Buhari, in the early hours of Thursday, said the old N200 note would remain a legal tender until April 10.

Buhari, in a nationwide broadcast, said the old and new N200 notes will exist side by side so as to ease the naira scarcity.

The Star