JUST IN: Court Okays Ganduje’s Suspension from APC

In a significant development within the All Progressives Congress (APC), the Kano State High Court has issued an ex parte order suspending the National Chairman of the party, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje. The order, granted by Justice Usman Malam Na’abba, not only suspends Ganduje from the party but also prohibits him from presiding over any activities of the party’s National Working Committee (NWC).

The court’s decision follows 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. This motion was in response to a group of nine ward executives who announced Ganduje’s suspension from the party on Monday.

As part of the interim injunction, all involved parties, including the APC, its NWC, Kano State Working Committee of the party, and Ganduje himself, have been directed to maintain the status quo as of April 15, 2024, until a full hearing on the matter scheduled for April 30.

The court also ordered the Kano State Working Committee of the APC to refrain from interfering with the decision of the Ganduje Ward executives, which was backed by a two-third majority as stipulated by the party’s constitution.

The suspension of Ganduje stemmed from allegations of bribery and corruption against the APC national chairman, prompting a petition submitted by a party member from Ganduje’s polling unit. The petition urged the ward executives to investigate these accusations to safeguard the party’s reputation and support President Bola Tinubu’s anti-corruption efforts.

Despite the petition being initially overlooked by the ward chairman and secretary, nine members, led by the legal adviser, proceeded to pronounce Ganduje’s suspension. This action was met with opposition from the state working committee of the party, who accused the ward executives of engaging in anti-party activities and subsequently suspended them for six months.