It has never been heard that some state governors in Nigeria will openly be flouting the orders and directives of the president to the extent of issuing opposing directives asking their state residents and indigenes not to obey the president.
Actions of such nature are nothing other than a treasonable felony. It is only when you intend to overthrow the government, plot a coup or declare your state/region sovereign and independent from the federal government that you as a state governor can exhibit that level of ungraded insolence.
In the early morning of Thursday, the 16th of February, 2023, the president in response to the protest rocking the country against the Naira redesign policy and the withdrawal of some old naira notes made a nationwide broadcast stating that the 500 and the 1000 naira notes by the reason of the expiration of the deadline ceases to be a legal tender but can be still redeemable at Central Bank of Nigeria branches nationwide.
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Some state governors protested against this move stating that the presidency cannot and should not do that. The governor of Kaduna state, Mr Nasir El Rufai made his own nationwide broadcast countering that of the president telling the indigenes and the residents of the state not to pay attention to the president’s broadcast, he vehemently stated that despite the position of the president, the 500 and 1000 notes is still and will continue to be a legal tender in the state and people can still transact with it.
The president and the presidency are yet to respond or react to this outright insolence of some state governors, especially that of the governor of Kaduna state, but acts like this are not just disrespectful to the power and authority the president wields as the commander in chief and the number one citizen of the country it as well breeds coup if not quickly checked.
The argument that the president is himself flouting the directives of the Supreme Court does not provide the ground for some state governors to go against the directives of the president and the CinC. The president flouting the orders of the Supreme Court is left for him and the court to settle their scores.
The opposing concurrent order of some state governors amounts to them seeking to overthrow the authority and the office of the president and that is nothing other than a treasonable felony. Even the dictionary defines treasonable felony to mean “attempting to kill or overthrow a sovereign government” which starts from countering the stand of the president and asking your followers to disregard and undermine his authority.
A state governor making an opposing order asking his state residents to disregard that of the president can only be seen as being done with the malicious intent to overthrow the authority and the office of the president; there is no other better explanation for it.
It is a charge and a call on the DSS to invite those state governors that are openly asking their state indigenes and residents to disobey the president before we experience another coup that will land this nation into another civil war.
