The Kano State High Court has granted an ex parte order suspending the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, from the party.
The order, issued by Justice Usman Malam Na’abba on Tuesday, also barred Ganduje from presiding over any activity of the party’s National Working Committee (NWC).
The decision stemmed from an ex parte motion filed by Dr. Ibrahim Sa’ad, representing members of the executive committee of APC in Ganduje Ward of Dawakin Tofa local government area of Kano State.
The Ward Exco members were part of a group of nine ward executives who earlier announced Ganduje’s suspension from the party on Monday.
The court, therefore, gave an interim injunction directing all parties involved, including the APC, its NWC, Kano State Working Committee of the party, and Ganduje himself, to maintain the status quo as of April 15, 2024, pending a full hearing on the matter set for April 30.
Justice Na’abba further ordered the Kano State Working Committee of the APC to refrain from interfering with the decision of the Ganduje Ward executives of the party, which was endorsed by a two-third majority as stipulated by the party’s constitution.
The ward executives acted on a petition submitted by a party member from Ganduje’s polling unit, urging them to investigate the accusations bribery and corruption against the APC national chairman, to protect the party’s image and President Bola Tinubu’s anti-corruption efforts.
While the ward chairman and secretary reportedly failed to act on the petition filed on April 8, nine members, led by the legal adviser, went ahead to pronounce Ganduje’s suspension.
Their decision was immediately rebutted by the state working committee of the party, who accused the ward executives of anti-party activities and suspended them for six months.