Kano State High Court Restrains APC National Chairman Abdullahi Ganduje

The Kano State High Court has issued an ex parte order restraining the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Abdullahi Ganduje, from representing himself as a member of the party.

Furthermore, the court has directed Ganduje to refrain from overseeing any activities of the National Working Committee (NWC) of the APC. This ruling stems from an ex parte motion filed by Dr. Ibrahim Sa’ad on behalf of two executive members of Ganduje’s ward in Dawakin-Tofa Local Government Area. The plaintiffs, Assistant Secretary Laminu Sani and Legal Adviser Haladu Gwanjo, were among the nine ward executives who suspended Ganduje on Monday.

The court has ordered all parties involved, including the APC, NWC, APC Kano State Working Committee, and Ganduje, to maintain the status quo as of April 15, 2024, pending the hearing and determination of the substantive suit on April 30, 2024.

Justice Na’abba, in granting the ex parte order, also directed the APC Kano State Working Committee to refrain from interfering with the decision of Ganduje ward executives, which was made with the endorsement of a two-thirds majority of the executives as per the party’s constitution.

The order reads, “The first respondent (APC) is hereby restrained from recognizing the fourth respondent (Ganduje) as a member of APC and prohibiting the fourth respondent (Ganduje) from presiding over any affairs of the NWC and restraining the state Working Committee from interfering with the legally and validly determination of the ward executives of Ganduje ward.”

Nine members of the Ganduje ward announced the suspension of the APC National Chairman over corruption allegations leveled against him by the Kano State Government. This action was prompted by a petition written by Ja’afaru Adamu, a member of the APC from Ganduje’s polling unit, urging the ward leaders to investigate the corruption charges to uphold the party’s image and President Bola Tinubu’s anti-corruption stance. Although the chairman and secretary of the ward did not act on the petition filed on April 8, 2024, nine members of the executives, led by the legal adviser, took action, resulting in Ganduje’s suspension.