Kano: APC Crisis Worsens, As Ganduje’s Supporters Set Shekarau’s Secretariat Ablaze

By James Orji

The battle for the control of the soul of APC in Kano state between Governor AbdullahI Ganduje and an erstwhile Governor of the state, Ibrahim Shekarau shows no sign of abating after hoodlums set ablaze the party secretariat  controlled by the latter.

Two factions of the party led by the two politicians are at loggerheads over who is in control of the APC machinery in the state.  On Tuesday , a federal high court in Abuja, the nation’s  capital set aside the state congress held by the Ganduje faction and directed the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC to recognise candidates elected by the Shekarau-led  faction.

Recall that the Kano APC under the leadership of Ganduje had on July 31, 2021, returned all its candidates unopposed across the 44 local councils, unanimously electing the 13,068 ward executive members across the 484 wards.

The Shekarau  faction later went to court to challenge  the issue, praying the court to recognise the congress conducted by his own faction.

While ruling on the matter two days ago, Jusstice Hamzat Muazu subsequently declared that the congress conducted by the faction led by Shekarau is the authentic exercise. The incumbent governor faction,  has, however,  decided to challenge the lower court ruling at the Court of Appeal.

The Kano state Attorney-General and Commissioner of Justice, Mohammed Lawal, in a statement on Wednesday, expressed surprise over the judgments, adding that the state government will proceed to the higher court to challenge  the judgment.

Lawal said “we are very surprised about the judgments because our lawyers had filed all the relevant document challenging the jurisdiction of the court because the issue happened here in Kano. We are also very surprised that the people chose to go to an Abuja High Court because these issues happened here in Kano and the case ought to have been filed in Kano.

“Everybody is well aware of the issue of jurisdiction but in any case, our lawyers filed all the relevant documents.our lawyers are studying the judgments and we are going to appeal the decision,” the commissioner stated.

But barely 48 hours after the ruling, hoodlums believed to be working on the side of Governor Ganduje has responded fiercely by setting the opponents secretariat located along the Maiduguri road on fire.

The political criisis in the statd Kano APC started after the state congress, on October 18, produced two factional leaders.The Shekarau faction had elected Haruna Danzago as chairman while Ganduje’s camp elected Abdullahi Abbas.

The National Appeal Committee set up by the APC later recognised Mr Abbas as the chairman of the party in the state.