The Federal High Court in Abuja has scheduled June 26 as the date for the hearing of a lawsuit aimed at removing the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje.
Justice Inyang Ekwo set the date following a request from the plaintiff’s attorney, Benjamin Davou, for time to respond to Ganduje’s initial objection.
The plaintiff, the North Central APC Forum, under the leadership of Saleh Zazzaga, has raised concerns in the lawsuit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/599/2024, questioning the legitimacy of Ganduje’s appointment as the APC chairman given that he is not from the North Central geo-political zone.
The defendants in this case include Ganduje, the APC, and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
During the court session, Davou mentioned that although the hearing was slated for that day, it was not feasible due to the recent service of Ganduje’s preliminary objection and counter affidavit by his lawyer, Raymond Asikeni.
Davou assured the court that he would file his response to the documents presented by Ganduje on Wednesday after the public holiday. Justice Ekwo then adjourned the hearing until June 26.
He stated, “On the hearing date, the preliminary objection will be addressed along with the main suit. Any party not present in court will have their processes deemed as adopted.”
The plaintiff, in the main suit, seeks to prevent Ganduje from continuing to hold the position of the national chairman of the APC. Additionally, it requests the court to direct INEC not to acknowledge any actions taken by the APC under Ganduje’s leadership since August 3, 2023, including congresses, primaries, and nominations.
The plaintiff argues that Ganduje’s appointment as the APC chairman is illegal since he is not from a state in the North Central geo-political zone. It contends that the NEC of the APC violated the party’s constitution by appointing Ganduje from Kano State in the North West zone to replace Sen. Abdullahi Adamu from Nasarawa State in the North Central zone.
Furthermore, the plaintiff claims that Ganduje’s appointment contravenes Article 31.5(1) f of the APC constitution and exceeds the powers of the party’s NEC.
The plaintiff also insists that according to Article 31.5(1) of the APC constitution, the party must follow the proper procedure for replacing an officer in the event of a vacancy and appoint a member from Nasarawa State in the North Central zone as the chairman.
Among other requests, the plaintiff seeks the court to declare that Ganduje cannot be appointed as the National Chairman of the party except through democratic elections as per Article 20(1) of the APC constitution. It also asks for a declaration that the party’s National Convention is the ultimate authority for electing or removing national officers, including the national chairman, and that the NEC does not have the authority to appoint a chairman.
