The All Progressives Congress (APC) executive loyal to the Kano State governor, Abdullahi Ganduje, has been sacked by an FCT High Court presided over by Justice Hamza Muazu.
The presiding judge granted all of the reliefs sought by Senator Ibrahim Shekarau’s faction, including a declaration that Ganduje’s APC Exco/group did not hold ward and local government congresses, in his ruling on Tuesday.
Muntaka Bala Sulyman, a member of the APC with 17, 980 members, is the plaintiff in the case, while the defendants are the APC, Mai- Mala Buni, Caretaker Chairman; Sen. John Akpanudoedehe, National Secretary; and the Independent National Electoral Commission, as the fourth defendant.
Nuraini Jimoh, SAN, represented the applicants, while Sule Usman, SAN, M.N. Duru, and Mashood Alabelewe represented the defendants.
In Kano, parallel congresses were held, with Abdullahi Abbas emerging as the Ganduje-led group’s chairman and Ahmadu Haruna Zago emerging as the Shekarau-led group’s chairman.
Below are the reliefs sought and granted by the judge
DECLARATION THAT the Plaintiffs are the duly, valid, proper, by the defendants authentic and democratically elected and ought to be recognized by the Defendants as the:
27 elected ward executive committee members for each of the 484 Wards in Kano State;
5-elected Ward delegates for or to each of the 44-Local Government Areas; and
5 – elected Ward delegates per ward for or to the State Party Congress
of the 1st Defendant party for all the wards and local governments areas in Kano State in the Ward congress election conducted by the 1st – 8th Defendants and supervised by the 9th Defendant on the 31st July 2021;
DECLARATION THAT the 1st Defendant’s summary result sheets showing the Plaintiffs as:
27 elected ward executive committee members for each of the 484 Wards in Kano State;
5-elected Ward delegates for or to each of the 44-Local Government Areas; and
5 – elected Ward delegates per Ward for or to the State Party Congress of the 1st Defendant;
are the valid, proper, authentic and democratic results of the various Ward congress elections in Kano State to be adopted, recognized and relied upon by the Defendant headquarters in Abuja?
DIRECTING the Defendants to adopt, recognize and rely on the summary result sheet for Ward Congress, elected delegates and State Delegates submitted at the 1st Defendant’s Office in FCT, Abuja consisting of the Plaintiffs’ names as the only valid and authentic delegates qualified to participate in the forthcoming primary elections of the 1st Defendant;
NULLIFYING, voiding and or setting aside any other list of any other report/ directives given by the Defendants on 9th August 2021 or any other date, other than the valid, proper and authentic summary result sheets for Ward Congress, Elected Delegates and State Delegates of Kano State consisting of the Plaintiffs’ names as the duly, valid and democratically elected Ward Executive Committees, Ward Delegates to the Local Government Areas and Ward delegates to the State Party Congress of the 1st Defendant of Kano State;
AN ORDER OF PERPETUAL INJUNCTION restraining the Defendants from receiving, accepting and or acting or purporting to act on, rely on or approving any other list or purported list emanating from other than the duly constituted Ward Congress Committee (WCC) of the 1st Defendant consisting of the names of the Plaintiffs as t the:
27 elected ward executive committee members for each of the 484 Wards in Kano State;
5-elected Ward delegates for or to each of the 44-Local Government Areas; and
5 – Elected Ward delegates per Ward for or to the State Party Congress of the 1st defendant.