On Wednesday, a Federal High Court in Abuja postponed its decision regarding a lawsuit aimed at ousting Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje from his role as the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC). The ruling, which was originally set for today, will now take place on September 23.
Sources revealed that the case was not included in the court’s agenda for the day, prompting the registrar to contact the parties involved to reschedule due to the unavailability of the judgment.
“We have already reached out to the parties via phone to update them on the situation. The new date is set for next week, September 23,” a reliable insider noted.
Justice Inyang Ekwo had previously scheduled the judgment for September 18 following the submissions made by the plaintiff’s counsel, Benjamin Davou, and the defense attorneys, who presented arguments on both sides of the case.
The lawsuit was initiated by the North Central APC Forum, under the leadership of Saleh Zazzaga, questioning the legitimacy of Ganduje’s appointment as APC Chairman, given that he hails from the North West instead of the North Central region.
Filed under case number FHC/ABJ/CS/599/2024, the suit names Ganduje, the APC, and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as the first to third defendants, respectively.
The plaintiff seeks a court order to prevent Ganduje from continuing to represent himself as the APC Chairman. Additionally, they request that INEC be instructed to disregard any actions taken by the APC, including congresses, primaries, and nominations, since Ganduje assumed the chairmanship on August 3, 2023.
The plaintiff argues that Ganduje’s tenure as APC chairman is unlawful since he does not originate from a state within the North Central geopolitical zone. They contend that the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the APC violated the party’s constitution by appointing Ganduje, from Kano State in the North West, as a replacement for Senator Abdullahi Adamu, who is from Nasarawa State in the North Central zone.
Furthermore, the plaintiff asserts that Ganduje’s appointment is in direct violation of Article 31.5(1) f of the APC constitution and exceeds the authority granted to the NEC, among other legal requests.
