COURT FIXES JULY 5 TO HEAR SUIT SEEKING TO REMOVE GANDUJE AS APC CHAIRMAN

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The hearing of a lawsuit to remove Abdullahi Ganduje, the national chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress, from office, was postponed until July 5 by the Federal High Court in Abuja on Wednesday.

Under the direction of Justice Inyang Ekwo, the court adjourned so that the parties could reply to a counter-affidavit that the embattled APC Chairman submitted to contest the suit’s eligibility.

Members of the party who felt wronged filed the lawsuit, which is identified as FHC/ABJ/CS/599/2024, on the North Central APC Forum site.

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The plaintiffs, who are headed by a guy named Saleh Zazzaga, are contesting the legitimacy of Ganduje’s appointment to the position of APC Chairman.

Among other things, they want the court to stop Ganduje from continuing to pose as the party’s chairman.

Furthermore, since Ganduje assumed the position of APC Chairman on August 3, 2023, they requested the court issue an injunction instructing the Independent National Electoral Commission, or INEC, to refrain from recognizing any APC acts, including congresses, primaries, and nominations.

The plaintiffs informed the court that because Ganduje is not a resident of a state in the North Central geopolitical zone, he is unlawfully holding the position of APC chairman.

They contended that when Ganduje, a native of Kano State in the North West geographical zone, was chosen to succeed Senator Abdullahi Adamu, a native of Nasarawa State in the North Central geopolitical zone, the APC’s National Executive Committee (NEC) had violated the party constitution.

The plaintiffs claimed that the appointment of Ganduje to succeed Abdullahi went against Article 31.5(1) f of the APC constitution and exceeded the authority of the party’s NEC.

They further stated that the APC was required to follow the process for replacing an officer in the event of a vacancy and should designate a member from Nasarawa State in the North Central geopolitical zone to the position of party chairman in accordance with the true interpretation of Article 31.5(1) of the APC Constitution 2013 (as amended).

Among other things, they seek the court to rule that Ganduje’s current position as National Chairman of the party is unlawful and that he was only able to be chosen through a democratically conducted election, as stipulated in Article 20(1) of the APC constitution 2013, as amended.

Furthermore, the plaintiffs seek a declaration that the party’s national convention, which has the authority to elect or remove national officers, including the national chairman, is the ultimate authority of the party under the terms of Article 13 of the APC Constitution 2013 (as amended).

In addition, the plaintiffs want a ruling that the party’s NEC was not authorized to name anyone to the position of chairman.

In the meantime, Mr. Benjamin Davou, the plaintiffs’ attorney, informed the court during the case’s hearing on Wednesday that he would require more time to react to the new paperwork that Ganduje’s attorney had provided him.

Counsel representing APC Chairman, Mr. Raymond Asikeni, SAN, did not object to his request for an adjournment.

As a result, Justice Ekwo postponed the hearing on the subject.

The APC and INEC are named as defendants in the case on an equal basis.