APC CRISIS: Analysing the conflicting court rulings on Ganduje’s suspension

By solacebase.com On Apr 19, 2024

Abdullahi Ganduje, APC, Kano,Court, Usman Malam Na'aba, — APC National Chairman, Abdullahi Ganduje

On Thursday, a Federal High Court in Kano State restrained the executive members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ganduje Ward, Dawakin Tofa Local Government Area from further action on the purported suspension of the APC national chairman, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje.

The court in an order obtained by SolaceBase with suit number FHC/KN/CS/122/2024, the presiding judge, Justice A.M Liman mandates all the parties to maintain the status quo before the purported emergency meeting of the alleged Executive members of APC Ganduje Ward, and to stay all action in respect of this matter pending the hearing and determination of the substantive application.

The order came barely 24 hours after a Kano State High Court presided over by Justice Usman Na’abba granted an ex-parte order affirming Ganduje’s suspension. The order also restrains him from parading himself as a party member.

Meanwhile, lawyers have reacted to these two contrasting orders, saying the development was unfortunate and shows that the judiciary is fast becoming a tool of ridicule in the hands of politicians.

A constitutional lawyer and human rights activist, Festus Ogun, said while both orders remain effective, as parties will then choose to work with the one that favours them, it is pathetic.

“How is the political crisis in APC a fundamental rights action? Now imagine a fundamental right action being used to obtain from the court a restraining order stopping Ganduje’s suspension! What an abuse of court process,” he said.

On the other hand, a lawyer said the second order or application is or would be an abuse of court process if the subject matters are the same.

Inibehe Effiong, a human rights activist, argued that with the recent efforts of the leadership of the judiciary, “one would have thought that the instances of conflicting orders by courts of coordinate jurisdiction would be a thing of the past.”

“Our courts should be very wary of politicians. This is quite unfortunate, and I hope this kind of situation will be addressed and something will be done about it,” he said.

This newspaper reports how some APC members in Ganduje ward suspended the party’s national chairman in a press conference on Monday. They said Ganduje was suspended from the party to allow him to face an allegation of corruption leveled against him by the Kano State Government.

But in a swift response, the State Working Committee of the APC sanctioned the Ganduje ward executives hours after the suspension was announced.

“We have evidence of meetings between the State Government officials and those that suspended the National Chairman, and the state working committee has agreed to sanction them for six months and they stand suspended. The suspension announced by the ward executives is invalid, null and void and urged concerned parties not to bother about it,” the state executives said in their statement.