Kano Judge Revokes Order Upholding Ganduje’s APC Suspension

A high court in Kano State has revoked the order that affirmed the suspension of Abdullahi Ganduje, former Kano State governor and national chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), from the party.

Last week, the APC executives in Dawakin Ward, located in the Tofa Local Government Area of Kano, suspended Ganduje over allegations of corruption. While the APC’s Kano State Working Committee nullified the suspension and disciplined the ward executives, Judge Usman Na’Abba upheld the original suspension, causing controversy within the party.

The suspension ruling by Judge Na’Abba prompted APC executives at the ward level to lodge a petition with the National Judicial Council (NJC), questioning the judge’s intervention in what they deemed to be internal party affairs. They raised concerns about judicial overreach, noting that such actions could undermine the party’s internal mechanisms and affect the impartiality of the judiciary.

In the petition, they argued that “the decision to intervene in internal party affairs without clear and compelling reasons to circumvent the party’s own mechanisms appears to constitute constitutional overreach.” They added that issuing an ex parte order in a politically sensitive matter involving party leadership without ensuring that all internal remedies have been exhausted raises questions about the judicial process.

Following the petition and public scrutiny, Judge Na’Abba vacated his previous ruling on Monday and set a new hearing date for April 30.