APC Chieftain Sues Ganduje Over Chairmanship Position
A former national chairmanship aspirant of the All Progressives Congress, APC has dragged the chairman of the party, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, before a High Court of Justice of the Federal Capital Territory seeking his removal from office.
The plaintiff, Mohammed Saidu Etsu, who alleged Ganduje of illegal stay in office chairman is praying the court for an order restraining him from parading himself as the chairman of the party.
Also joined in the suit alongside Ganduje as respondents are APC, National Executive Committee of APC and the National Working Committee of APC.
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He is also praying the court for an order prohibiting Ganduje from presiding over the National Executive and National Working Committees meeting of the party.
In the suit marked CV/2258/CS/2024, the plaintiff asked the court to set aside the appointment of Ganduje as the chairman of the party.
He prayed the court to determine the following question: Whether by the provisions of Article 7(vii) and (ix) of the APC Constitution (supra) the APC is not bound by the consensus reached by its leaders at the 2022 National Convention held in Abuja, Nigeria, that the National Chairman of the APC from 2022 to 2026 must be someone from the North Central Geopolitical Zone of the country?
Whether it is in tandem with Article 14.2 (ii) for the National Executive Committee of the APC on 3rd August, 2023, to appoint Dr Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, who is from the North West Geopolitical Zone of the country to act as National Chairman of the APC, after the then APC National Chairman, Senator Abdullahi Adamu resigned his position as APC National Chairman? Whether the APC National Chairman can only be elected at the National Convention of the APC? Convention by Article 13 (1) of the APC
Whether the National Constitution is not the final authority of the APC?
He also prayed the court for the following reliefs: A Declaration that by virtue of Article 7 (ix) and (x) of the Constitution of the APC, the APC is bound to promote and uphold the practice of internal democracy at ail levels of the Party Organization and institutionalize, maintain and foster representative democracy, discipline and strict observance of the rule of law in the Federation of Nigeria
A Declaration that the 3rd Defendant failed, refused and or neglected to comply with the procedure laid down in Article 31.5 of the APC constitution (supra) in the replacement of Senator Abdullahi Adamu with Dr Abdullahi Umar Ganduje as National Chairman of APC on the 27 August, 2023;
An Order setting aside the appointment of Dr Abdullahi Umar Ganduje by the 3rd Defendant as the National Chairman of the APC on 3 August 2023 on the ground that the 3rd Defendant failed, refused and or neglected to comply with the procedure laid down by Article 31.5 of the APC Constitution (supra);
A Declaration that the National Executive Committee of the APC has no modicum or scintilla of power to appoint Dr Abdullahi Umar Ganduje on 3rd August, 2023, as the National Chairman of the Party;
An Order of Injunction restraining Dr Abdullahi Umar Ganduje from parading or representing or holding out himself as the National Chairman of the APC in any form or guise, whatsoever;
An Injunction restraining or prohibiting Or Abdullahi Umar Ganduje from presiding over the National Executive and National Working Committees, respectively, or any other organ of the APC;
No date has been fixed for the hearing of the matter.
Hafsoh Isiaq is a graduate of Linguistics. An avid writer committed to creative, high-quality research and news reportage. She has considerable experience in writing and reporting across a variety of platforms including print and online.
