Kano APC: Shekarau Loses, As Supreme Court Upholds Ganduje’s Faction

Kano APC: Shekarau Loses, As Supreme Court Upholds Ganduje’s Faction

                 Ganduje and Shekarau

 

The Supreme Court on Friday upheld Governor Abdullahi Ganduje’s faction of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kano State against the party’s faction loyal to a former Governor of the state, Ibrahim Shekarau.

A unanimous judgement of the five-member panel of Justices of the Apex Court, delivered by Justice Inyang Okoro, held that the appeal against the earlier judgements of the Court of Appeal in Abuja lacked merit and was consequently dismissed.

The court further held that the two other appeals in the matter will abide by the Friday judgement delivered by Justice Okoro.

The appeals followed two rulings by a High Court of the Federal Capital Territory in 2021 which upheld the Ward and Local Government Congresses believed to have been won by the faction loyal to Shekarau and Senator Jibril Barau (Kano North).

A three-member panel of the appellate court presided by Justice Haruna Tsammani had, in the judgement in February, set aside the judgment of the FCT High Court for lack of jurisdiction.

The panel, while upholding the three appeals, also held that the originating summons was wrongly commenced in Abuja, adding that the matter was an internal affair of the party.

The trial court had, in the two verdicts on the ward and local council congresses on November 30 and December 17, 2021, refused a preliminary objection by members loyal to Governor Ganduje seeking to uphold the fresh congresses.

The suits were brought through their lawyer, Nureini Jimoh (SAN) against the APC national caretaker committee led by Governor Mai Mala Buni of Yobe State, which included John James Akpanudoedehe, Olayide Adewole Akinremi, and Senator Abba Ali.

Others joined in the suit as defendants included members of the APC Caretaker/Extraordinary Planning Committee: Tony Macfoy, Barr Auwalu Abdullahi, Usman Musa Kaita and Adedayo Iyaniwura.

In granting the five reliefs sought by Bala Suleiman, Justice Hamza Muazu further declared as illegal the non-recognition of the duly elected, validly, properly authentically and democratically elected persons as the 27 elected ward executive committee members for each of the 484 wards in Kano State; five elected ward delegates to each of the 44 LGAs; and five elected ward delegates per ward area for the state party congress.

The judge further made an order of perpetual injunction “restraining the defendants from receiving, accepting and or acting or purporting to act on or approving any other list on or purported list of ward executive committee members emanating from any other committee other than the duly constituted Ward Congress Committee (WCC) of the 1st Defendant (APC).”