Dr. Umar Ganduje, the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, is alleged to have been suspended. The legal fireworks surrounding this claim began on Tuesday. The Kano State High Court scheduled a hearing for May 27 to consider the preliminary objection, jurisdiction, and joinder applications.
Judge Usman Na’Abba presided over the court, which set a hearing date of April 30, 2024 for the substantive suit after Ganduje was suspended on Monday, April 15, 2024, by the APC executive in Dawakin ward, Tofa Local Government Area, Kano State. The suspension was upheld on Tuesday, April 16, 2024.
Later, the suspension order would be revoked by the judge.
On Wednesday, April 17, 2024, Ganduje also received an ex parte order from Justice A. M. Liman of the Federal High Court, located in Kano. Liman’s ruling said that the alleged suspension should not take effect until the case was heard and decided.
During the Tuesday hearing, the applicants—Haladu Gwanjo, the ward executive’s legal adviser, and Laminu Borguma, the assistant secretary—spoke to the court on behalf of the nine ward executive members who had suspended Ganduje. They said they had filed a motion ex parte along with a 13-paragraph affidavit, asking for an order for an interim injunction on Ganduje’s suspension.
Ibrahim Sa’ad, their attorney, stood in on their behalf.
The APC, National Working Committee, APC Kano State Working Committee, and Ganduje have all joined the matter as respondents.
Sa’ad informed the judge during Tuesday’s case mention that they had received the respondent’s counter-affidavit and had so requested an extension to allow them to reply to the application.
M. M. Duru, the attorney for the first, second, and third respondents, did not oppose to the request.
“We have filed and served all parties our motion, dated April 24, challenging the jurisdiction of this court to entertain this matter,” Duru said.
The fourth respondent’s attorney, Lydia Oyewo, informed the court that her client had not received court orders, even though she did not object to the new date.
“We have not been served with the processes of the court. The plaintiff is in contempt of the court because they have failed to comply with the order of the court directing him to serve all the defendants in the matter.
“Particularly, we are appearing out of respect for the court. Our client has not been served, so we could not file any processes before the court.
“This matter is an intra-party matter and the court has held severally, even to the apex court. The court does not have jurisdiction to hear and determine intra-party matters that have to do with leadership, membership and discipline of members.”
Under the direction of their attorney, S.U. Jibril, the parties wishing to join the lawsuit informed the court of their intent to do so.
Judge Na’Abba scheduled May 27 to allow both parties to serve their procedures and hear the three applications after hearing from both attorneys.
