The Kano State High Court has issued an ex parte order restraining Abdullahi Ganduje, the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), from representing himself as a member of the party. The court further directed Ganduje to refrain from presiding over any matters of the APC’s National Working Committee (NWC).
This order, granted by Justice Usman Na’abba on Tuesday, follows 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. These members, including Laminu Sani, the Assistant Secretary, and Haladu Gwanjo, the Legal Adviser, were part of the nine ward executives who suspended Ganduje on Monday.
The court’s directive encompasses all parties involved in the matter, including the APC, APC’s NWC, APC Kano State Working Committee, and Ganduje himself. They are ordered to maintain the status quo ante belum as of April 15, 2024, pending the hearing and determination of the substantive suit scheduled for April 30, 2024.
Justice Na’abba also prohibited the Kano State Working Committee of the APC from interfering with the decision made by Ganduje’s ward executives, which was endorsed by a two-thirds majority, as provided by the party’s constitution.
The ex parte order explicitly states that Ganduje is barred from presenting himself as an APC member or engaging in any activities that might suggest his membership until the substantive suit is resolved.
Ganduje’s suspension by nine members of his ward was prompted by allegations of corruption leveled against him by the Kano State Government. The decision followed a petition by Ja’afaru Adamu, an APC member from Ganduje’s polling unit, urging the ward leaders to investigate the corruption allegations for the party’s integrity, particularly in light of President Bola Tinubu’s anti-corruption efforts.
Although the ward chairman and secretary initially failed to act on the petition filed on April 8, 2024, nine executives, led by the legal adviser, took action, resulting in Ganduje’s suspension.
