The Federal High Court in Abuja has set July 5, 2024, as the date for hearing a lawsuit seeking the removal of Abdullahi Ganduje from his position as the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Presiding over the case, Justice Inyang Ekwo adjourned the hearing to give the plaintiffs time to respond to a counter-affidavit filed by Ganduje challenging the suit’s competence.
The lawsuit, identified as FHC/ABJ/CS/599/2024, was filed by aggrieved party members under the North Central APC Forum, led by Saleh Zazzaga.
The plaintiffs are contesting Ganduje’s appointment, arguing it violated the APC’s constitution.
The plaintiffs are seeking several orders from the court:
- To restrain Ganduje from acting as the APC Chairman.
- To direct the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) not to recognize any actions taken by the APC under Ganduje’s leadership since his appointment on August 3, 2023.
- A declaration that Ganduje’s appointment is illegal because it did not follow the proper constitutional procedures and he is not from the North Central geopolitical zone, as required.
The plaintiffs argue that Ganduje’s appointment breached Article 31.5(1) f of the APC constitution, stating the position should have gone to a member from Nasarawa State in the North Central zone, following the departure of the previous chairman, Senator Abdullahi Adamu.
Furthermore, they claim that, according to Article 20(1) of the APC constitution, the National Chairman must be elected democratically and not appointed by the National Executive Committee (NEC), making Ganduje’s current position illegitimate.
The suit also asserts that only the party’s national convention has the authority to elect or remove national officers, including the chairman, as per Article 13 of the APC Constitution 2013 (as amended).
During Wednesday’s proceedings, the plaintiffs’ counsel, Mr. Benjamin Davou, requested additional time to address the new process served by Ganduje’s lawyer, which was not opposed by the defense counsel, Mr. Raymond Asikeni, SAN. Consequently, Justice Ekwo adjourned the case for a hearing on July 5.
The APC and INEC are also named as defendants in the suit.