By Abimbola Ogunnaike
A Kano State High Court has granted an exparte order restraining the National Chairman of All Progressives Congress, APC, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, from parading himself as National Chairman as well as a member of the party, pending the determination of the substituted motion of his suspension.
Consequently, the court ordered that henceforth Ganduje should desist from presiding over affairs of the National Working Committee, NWC, of the party.
The application granted by Justice Usman Malam Na’abba on Tuesday follows an exparte motion filed by Dr. Ibrahim Sa’ad on behalf of two executive members of Ganduje’S ward, Dawakin-Tofa Local Government Area; the assistant secretary, Laminu Sani; and legal adviser Haladu Gwanjo (plaintiffs) who were part of the nine ward executive who suspended him two days ago.
The court directed the four parties (respondents) joined in the matter, including the APC NWC, APC Kano State Working Committee (KSWC), and Ganduje, to henceforth, maintain status quo ante belum as of 15th April, 2024, pending the hearing and determination of the substantive suit on 30th April 2024.
Justice Na’abba also held as prayed that the State Working Committee must not interfere with the legally and validly considered decision of executives of Ganduje ward, essentially on action endorsed by a third majority of the executives as provided by the party constitution.
“An order is hereby granted directing all parties in the suit APC (1st), APC National Working Committee (2nd), Kano State Working Committee APC (3rd), Dr. Abdullah Umar Ganduje (4th), to maintain status quo ante belum as of 15th April, 2024.
“The order thereby restraining the 1st respondent (APC) from recognizing the 4th respondent (Ganduje) as member of APC and prohibiting the 4th respondent (Ganduje) from presiding over any affairs of the NWC and restraining the state Working Committee from interfering with the legally and validly decision of the ward executives of Ganduje ward.
“That the 4th respondent (Ganduje) is prohibited from parading himself as a member of APC or doing any act that may portray him or seem to be a member of APC pending the hearing and determination of the substantive suit.”
It will be recalled that nine members of the Ganduje ward proclaimed the suspension of the National Chairman of APC over the allegation of corruption slammed on him by the Kano State Government.
The nine APC executives said they were prompted to act following a petition written by one Ja’afaru Adamu, a member of APC from the National Chairman’s polling unit.
In the petition, Adamu complained over allegations of corruption against the former Governor just as he urged the ward leaders to investigate the matter to redeem the dented image of the party and the implication on President Bola Tinubu’s fight against corruption.
Although the chairman and secretary of the ward failed to act on the petition filed since 8th April 2024, nine members of the executives led by the legal adviser had acted upon the petition, a decision that led to the suspension of Ganduje.
In the last year, the former Kano State Governor had suffered a serious political setback for losing his Dawakin Tofa federal constituency in the 2023 general elections where his son Umar Abdullahi Ganduje was the APC candidate.
