The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, yesterday, deferred hearing of a suit seeking to unseat Abdullahi Ganduje as National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to July 5.
Justice Inyang Ekwo, adjourned to allow the litigants to respond to a counter-affidavit the embattled politician filed to challenge the competence of the suit.
The suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/599/2024, was brought before the court by aggrieved members of the party under the platform of North Central APC Forum.
The plaintiffs, led by one Saleh Zazzaga, are querying the propriety of Ganduje’s appointment as chairman of the ruling party.
They, among other things, want the court to restrain Ganduje from further parading himself as chairman of the party.
More so, the applicants prayed the court to issue an order, directing the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) not to accord recognition to all actions taken by the APC, including congresses, primaries and nominations since Ganduje became APC chair on August 3, 2023.
The plaintiffs told the court that the former governor of Kano State was occupying the office illegally, not being from a state in the North Central geo-political zone.
They argued that the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the APC acted in breach of the party’s constitution when it appointed Ganduje, from Kano State in the North West geo- political zone to replace Senator Abdullahi Adamu, who is from Nasarawa State in the North Central region.
The plaintiffs argued that Ganduje’s appointment to replace Abdullahi is contrary to Article 31.5(1) f of the APC constitution and ultra vires the powers of the NEC of the party.
They added that by the true interpretation of Article 31.5(1) of the APC Constitution 2013 (as amended), the party was bound to comply with the procedure for the replacement of an officer in the event of a vacancy and ought to appoint a member from Nasarawa State in the North Central geo- political zone into the office of the chairman of the party.
They want the court to, among other things, declare that by Article 20(1) of the APC constitution Ganduje could not be appointed as national chairman of the party other than through a democratically conducted election, stressing that his current occupation of the office is illegal.
Besides, the plaintiffs want a declaration that by the provisions of Article 13 of the APC constitution the party’s national convention is the final authority of the party, which has the power to elect or remove national officers of the party, including the national chairman.
They also want a declaration that the party’s NEC lacked the power to appoint any person to the office of the chairman.
Meanwhile, when the case was called up for hearing yesterday, counsel to the plaintiffs, Mr. Benjamin Davou, told the court that he would need time to respond to the fresh process that was served on him by Ganduje’s lawyer.
His request for an adjournment was not opposed by counsel to the APC chairman, Mr. Raymond Asikeni (SAN).
Consequently, Justice Ekwo adjourned the matter for hearing. The defendants in the matter are the APC and INEC.
