Justice Inyang Edem Ekwo of the Federal High Court in Abuja has dismissed a lawsuit seeking the removal of Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje as the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The suit, brought by the APC North Central Group, was rejected on several grounds.
Justice Ekwo ruled that the APC North Central Group is not a legal entity as it is not registered under the law, meaning it has no legal standing to file the suit.
Additionally, the judge noted that the plaintiff did not exhaust internal party mechanisms for resolving disputes before approaching the court.
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Furthermore, the judge held that the appointment of party officers by the APC’s National Executive Committee (NEC) is an internal party matter, beyond the jurisdiction of the court.
The North Central APC Group had sought the nullification of Ganduje’s appointment, arguing that it violated the APC Constitution. Specifically, the group contended that the appointment breached Article 13 of the party’s constitution because it did not follow the required democratic process.
They also claimed that the position should have gone to someone from the North Central geopolitical zone, as per party rules.
The group, led by Saleh Zazzaga, asked the court to restrain Ganduje from acting as chairman and to direct the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) not to recognize actions taken by the APC under his leadership since his appointment on August 3, 2023.
They argued that Ganduje’s appointment, replacing Abdullahi Adamu from the North Central zone with someone from the North West, was a violation of the APC’s constitution.
In dismissing the case, Justice Ekwo ruled that the plaintiff had no legal right to file the suit and that there was no valid cause of action against the defendants.
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