The Federal High Court in Abuja, on Monday, dismissed a suit seeking to remove Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje from his position as the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC). The suit, filed by the Northern APC Forum, was deemed lacking in merit by the presiding judge, Justice Inyang Ekwo.
In the judgment, Justice Ekwo ruled that the plaintiff failed to establish its legal standing, stating that “nothing was adduced before the court to establish that the plaintiff is a legal entity that has the capacity to institute the action.” The court noted that there was no evidence showing that the group was registered in accordance with legal requirements.
Moreover, the court pointed out that the plaintiff did not exhaust the internal dispute resolution mechanisms within the APC before bringing the matter to court. Justice Ekwo emphasized that the appointment of party officers by the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the APC is an internal party affair, which is not subject to judicial intervention.
“The issue of appointment of officers of the APC by its National Executive Committee is an internal affair of the political party which no court has the right to dabble into,” he stated.
Consequently, the court found no cause of action against the defendants and dismissed the suit.
The Northern APC Forum had sought to invalidate Ganduje’s appointment, arguing that it violated the APC Constitution. According to the plaintiff, Ganduje’s appointment breached Article 13, which stipulates that the National Chairman should be selected from the North Central geopolitical zone. They contended that appointing Ganduje, who is from Kano State in the North West, to replace Abdullahi Adamu from Nasarawa State in the North Central zone was a violation of the party’s constitution.
The plaintiff also requested that the court prevent the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from recognizing any actions taken by the APC under Ganduje’s leadership, including congresses, primaries, and nominations conducted since August 3, 2023.
Despite these claims, the court ruled that the suit lacked merit and dismissed the case.
Ganduje, the APC, and INEC were all listed as defendants in the case, which was marked FHC/ABJ/CS/599/2024.