Court Postpones Judgment In Suit Seeking Ganduje’s Removal

Abdullahi Ganduje
 

The Federal High Court in Abuja has fixed September 23 to rule on the suit seeking the removal of Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje as the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The judgment, which was initially scheduled for September 18, did not make it to the court’s cause list.

The court registrar had earlier informed the parties involved that the ruling was not yet ready.

“We have already called the parties on the phone to inform them of the development. A new date is next week, September 23,” a reliable source said.

Justice Inyang Ekwo had previously set September 18 as the judgment date after hearing submissions from both the plaintiff’s counsel, Benjamin Davou, and the defence lawyers on July 5.

The lawsuit, brought forward by the North Central APC Forum led by Saleh Zazzaga, challenges the legality of Ganduje’s appointment as APC Chairman because he does not represent the North Central geo-political zone.

The suit is marked FHC/ABJ/CS/599/2024, with Ganduje, the APC, and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) listed as the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd defendants, respectively.

The plaintiffs argue that Ganduje, hailing from Kano State in the North West, was appointed to replace former chairman Sen. Abdullahi Adamu from Nasarawa State in the North Central zone.

This, they claim, violates Article 31.5(1)(f) of the APC constitution, which stipulates that a person from the same geo-political zone should fill any vacancy.

The plaintiffs are seeking a court order to prevent Ganduje from continuing as APC Chairman and to restrain INEC from recognizing any actions taken by the APC since Ganduje’s appointment, including congresses, primaries, and nominations.

They argue that Ganduje’s appointment was unconstitutional and beyond the APC National Executive Committee (NEC) authority.

The final decision on the matter will be delivered on September 23.