Kano State High Court has granted an ex parte order restraining National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje from parading himself as member of the party.
Subsequently, the court ordered, that henceforth, Ganduje should desist from presiding over all affairs of the party’s National Working Committee.
The application granted by Justice Usman Malam Na’abba on Tuesday follows an ex parte motion filed by counsel, Dr. Ibrahim Sa’ad on behalf of two executive members of the APC Ganduje Ward in Dawakin-Tofa Local Government Area. The officers include the Ward Assistant Secretary, Laminu Sani and Ward Legal Advisor, Haladu Gwanjo who were part of the nine ward executives who suspended Abdullahi Ganduje two days ago.
The court directed the four parties, including the respondents joined in the matter, namely All Progressives Congress, APC National Working Committee, APC Kano State Working Committee, and Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, to henceforth, maintain status quo ante belum as from 15th April, 2024, pending the hearing and determination of the substantive suit on 30th April, 2024.
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Justice Na’abba also held as prayed, stopping APC State Working Committee, from interfering with the legally and validly considered decision of executives of Ganduje Ward, essentially on action endorsed by two-third majority of the executives as provided by the party constitution.
“An order is hereby granted directing all parties in the suit APC (1st), APC National Working Committee (2nd), Kano State Working Committee APC (3rd), Dr. Abdullah Umar Ganduje (4th), to maintain status quo ante belum as of 15th April, 2024.
“The order thereby restraining the 1st respondent (APC) from recognizing the 4th respondent, Ganduje as member of APC and prohibiting the Ganduje from presiding over any affairs of the NWC and restraining the state Working Committee from interfering with the legally and validly decision of the ward executives of Ganduje ward.
“That the 4th respondent (Ganduje) is prohibited from parading himself as member of APC or doing any act that may portray him or seem to be a member of APC pending the hearing and determination of the substantive suit”.
It will be recalled that nine members of the Ganduje Ward executives proclaimed the suspension of the APC National Chairman over the allegation of corruption slammed on him by Kano State Government.
The nine APC executives said they were prompted to act following a petition written by one Ja’afaru Adamu, a member of APC from the National Chairman’s polling unit. In the petition, Adamu complained over the allegation of corruption against the former Governor just as he urged the ward leaders to investigate the matter to redeem the dented image of the party and the implication on President Bola Tinubu’s fight against corruption.
Although, the Chairman and Secretary of the Ward failed to act on the petition filed since 8th April, 2024, nine members of the executives led by the Legal Adviser had acted upon the petition, a decision that led to the suspension of Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje.
In the last one year, the former Kano state Governor, Abdullahi Ganduje had suffered serious political setback for loosing his Dawakin Tofa Federal Constituency in the 2023 general elections where his son Umar Abdullahi Ganduje was the APC candidate.
(Editor: Terverr Tyav)
