Court Dismisses Suit Seeking Ganduje’s Sack As APC National Chairman

By Suleiman Anyalewechi

An Abuja Federal High Court,on Monday, September 23, 2024, dismissed a suit seeking the removal of Dr Abdullahi  Ganduje, as the National Chairman of the All Progressive Congress APC.

The Source reports that the APC North Central Group had filed the suit challenging the appointment of the immediate past Governor  of Kano State as the Party’s National chairman.

The Group, led by Saleh Zazzaga, had contended that the appointment of Dr Ganduje from the North West to replace former Chairman Abdullahi Adamu is an  act of injustice to the North Central Zone, having been allotted the slot at the 2022 National Convention of the Party.

Senator Adamu ,the former Governor of Nasarawa state  was forced to resign in 2023, making way for the emergence of Dr Ganduje.

It has been the contention of the Zazzaga led group that the North Central should produce someone to complete the tenure of Senator Adamu .

Consequently, in the originating summons, the group had prayed the court to restrain Dr Ganduje from parading himself as the APC National Chairman.

Similarly, it had also sought an order restraining the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC from recognizing all actions taken by the APC since the commencement of the tenure of Dr Ganduje as National Chairman on August, 3, 2024 .

In all, the plaintiffs had augured that the appointment of Dr Ganduje from the North West to hold an office zoned to the North Central is in violation of Article 13, of the APC’s Constitution .

However, Justice Inyang Ekwo, in dismissing the suit, held that the plaintiffs lack the locus standi to institute the case, having failed to prove itself as a duly registered body by the Corporate Affairs Commission CAC .

Specifically, the Court ruled that the APC North Central Group is not a legally recognized body and, therefore, lacks the right to institute the case.

The Court also noted that the plaintiffs, before approaching the Court, never explored all the internal disputes resolution mechanisms of the party as clearly stipulated by its constitution .

Justice Ekwo equally held that the issues in question (appointments of party officials)  are purely the internal affairs of the party which the Court lacks the jurisdiction to determine.