November 30, (THEWILL) – A Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court presided over by Justice Hamza Muazu, has sacked the executive committee of All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kano State, loyal to the state governor, Abdullahi Ganduje.
Delivering the ruling on Tuesday, the judge granted the reliefs sought by the Senator Ibrahim Shekarau faction of the party, seeking a declaration that the Ganduje’s faction under the chairmanship of Abdullahi Abbas, did not conduct party’s ward and local government congresses.
The court affirmed the legitimacy of the Shekarau faction of the exco led by Ahmadu Haruna Zago.
The plaintiffs in the suit are Muntaka Bala Sulyman with 17,980 members of the party, while the defendants are APC as first defendant, Mai- Mala Buni, Caretaker Chairman; Sen. John Akpanudoedehe, National Secretary and; Independent National Electoral Commission, as the fourth defendant.
The applicants were represented by Nuraini Jimoh (SAN), while the defendants were represented by Sule Usman (SAN), M.N. Duru and Mashood Alabelewe.
THEWILL recalls that parallel congresses were held in Kano, with Abdullahi Abbas emerging chairman of the Ganduje-led group and Ahmadu Haruna Zago emerging chairman of the Shekarau-led group.
A statement of the reliefs sought and granted by the judge reads: “DECLARATION THAT the Plaintiffs are the duly, valid, proper, by the defendants authentic and democratically elected and ought to be recognized by the Defendants as the:
“27 elected ward executive committee members for each of the 484 Wards in Kano State; 5-elected Ward delegates for or to each of the 44-Local Government Areas; and
“5–elected Ward delegates per ward for or to the State Party Congress of the 1st Defendant party for all the wards and local governments areas in Kano State in the Ward congress election conducted by the 1st – 8th Defendants and supervised by the 9th Defendant on the 31st July, 2021;
“DECLARATION THAT the 1st Defendant’s summary result sheets showing the Plaintiffs as:
“27 elected ward executive committee members for each of the 484 Wards in Kano State;
“5-elected Ward delegates for or to each of the 44-Local Government Areas; and 5– elected Ward delegates per Ward for or to the State Party Congress of the 1st Defendant; are the valid, proper, authentic and democratic results of the various Ward congress elections in Kano State to be adopted, recognized and relied upon by the Defendant headquarters in Abuja?
“DIRECTING the Defendants to adopt, recognize and rely on the summary result sheet for Ward Congress, elected delegates and State Delegates submitted at the 1st Defendant’s Office in FCT, Abuja consisting of the Plaintiffs’ names as the only valid and authentic delegates qualified to participate in the forthcoming primary elections of the 1st Defendant;
“NULLIFYING, voiding and or setting aside any other list of any other report/ directives given by the Defendants on 9th August 2021 or any other date, other than the valid, proper and authentic summary result sheets for Ward Congress, Elected Delegates and State Delegates of Kano State consisting of the Plaintiffs’ names as the duly, valid and democratically elected Ward Executive Committees, Ward Delegates to the Local Government Areas and Ward delegates to the State Party Congress of the 1st Defendant of Kano State;
“AN ORDER OF PERPETUAL INJUNCTION restraining the Defendants from receiving, accepting and or acting or purporting to act on, rely on or approving any other list or purported list emanating from other than the duly constituted Ward Congress Committee (WCC) of the 1st Defendant consisting of the names of the Plaintiffs as the:
“27 elected ward executive committee members for each of the 484 Wards in Kano State; 5-elected Ward delegates for or to each of the 44-Local Government Areas; and 5– Elected Ward delegates per Ward for or to the State Party Congress of the 1st.”
