Embattled APC national chair Abdullahi Ganduje has secured a court order invalidating his suspension from the position and the party.
This was contained in a countermotion ex parte dated April 17, 2024, with suit number FHC/KN/CS/122/2021, filed by the immediate past Kano State governor on April 16, 2024, before Justice A.M. Liman of the Kano Division of the Federal High Court.
On Monday, nine executives of his ward, the Dawakin-Tofa LGA, suspended him from the party over alleged gross misconduct and misappropriation of public funds during his eight-year tenure as governor.
According to the ward’s legal adviser, Haladu Gwanjo, the decision to suspend the former governor was unanimous because Mr Ganduje had failed to clear his name from the corruption allegations.
This was backed up by a court document in which Justice Usman Na’abba, on Tuesday, granted an application restraining Mr Ganduje from parading himself as the party chairman and presiding over the affairs of the party’s National Working Committee.
This was after Ibrahim Sa’ad filed an ex parte motion on behalf of two of the ward executives, Mr Gwanjo and the assistant secretary, Laminu Sani.
However, Mr Ganduje, in the counter motion, asked the court to restrain all the respondents, their servants, agents or privies from implementing and or giving effect to the purported decision reached during the purported emergency meeting of the alleged Executive members of APC Ganduje Ward, held at Ganduje Ward of Dawakin Tofa LGA on Monday pending the hearing and determination of the substantive application for the enforcement of fundamental rights of the applicant.
Mr Ganduje also sought an order mandating all the parties to maintain the status quo before the purported emergency meeting of the alleged executive members of APC Ganduje Ward and to stay all action in respect of this matter pending the hearing and determination of the substantive application.
According to the court document, the judge, in response, granted his plea, stating that “after reading the affidavit in support of motion sworn to by Sulaiman A. Sulaiman, Adult, Male, Muslim, and a Nigerian Citizen of No. 38 Bargery Road, Kano, and filed at the Court Registry.”
The judge added, “And after hearing Jazuli Mustapha Esq. with Hadiza Nasir Ahmad Esq. move in terms of the motion paper, it is hereby ordered as follows: hat all the respondents, their servants, agents or privies are hereby restrained from implementing and or given effect to the purported decision reached during the purported emergency meeting of the alleged Executive members of APC Ganduje Ward, held at Ganduje Ward of Dawakin Tofa Local Government Area of Kano State on the 15th April, 2024 pending the hearing and determination of the substantive application for the enforcement of fundamental rights of the applicant.
“That all the parties are hereby mandated to maintain status quo before the purported emergency meeting of the alleged Executive members of APC Ganduje Ward, and to stay all action in respect of this matter pending the hearing and determination of the substantive application. That the matter is fixed for 30th April 2024 for hearing.”