A Kano State High Court has restrained the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, from parading himself as a member of the party.
Justice Usman Malam Na’abba made the order on Wednesday, following an ex parte motion filed by Dr. Ibrahim Sa’ad on behalf of two APC executive members of Ganduje ward, Dawakin-Tofa Local Government Area.
The plaintiffs are the party’s Assistant Secretary, Laminu Sani, and its Legal Adviser, Haladu Gwanjo.
The duo is among the nine ward executive members who suspended Ganduje from the party at the ward level two days ago.
The respondents in the case include the All Progressives Congress (APC), the APC National Working Committee (NWC), the APC Kano State Working Committee (KSWC), and Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje.
Granting the motion, Na’abba made an order restraining Ganduje from parading himself as APC National Chairman.
The court further made an order directing Ganduje to, henceforth, desist from presiding over all affairs of the APC National Working Committee (NWC).
The court directed the respondents to henceforth maintain the status quo ante belum as of April 15, pending the hearing and determination of the substantive suit on April 30.
Justice Na’abba also granted the plaintiff’s prayer, which ordered the APC SWC from interfering with the legally and validly considered decision of executives of Ganduje ward, essentially on action endorsed by a two-thirds 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), and Dr. Abdullah Umar Ganduje (4th), to maintain status quo ante belum as of April 15, 2024.
“The order thereby restraining the 1st respondent (APC) from recognizing the 4th respondent (Ganduje) as a member of APC and prohibiting the 4th respondent (Ganduje) from presiding over any affairs of the NWC and restraining the state Working Committee from interfering with the legal and valid decision of the ward executives of Ganduje ward.
“That the 4th respondent (Ganduje) is prohibited from parading himself as a 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 proclaimed the suspension of the National Chairman of the APC over the allegation of corruption slammed on him by the 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 the APC from Ganduje’s polling unit.
In the petition, Adamu made allegations of corruption charges against the former governor, just as he urged the ward leaders to investigate the matter to redeem the dented image of the party against the backdrop of President Bola Tinubu’s fight against corruption.
Following the failure of the Ward Chairman and Secretary to act on the petition, nine members of the executives, led by the legal adviser, acted and took the decision that led to the suspension of Ganduje. (NAN)
