By Samaila Emmanuel Bzugu
Justice Inyang Ekwo of the Federal High Court in Abuja has dismissed a lawsuit filed by the APC North Central Group seeking the removal of Abdullahi Ganduje as National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC). The judge threw out the suit on several grounds, including that the APC North Central Group lacks legal standing to file the suit as it’s not a registered entity under the law.
The court also ruled that the plaintiff failed to explore internal mechanisms for resolving issues before taking the matter to court ¹ ² ³. Additionally, Justice Ekwo held that the appointment of APC officers by the National Executive Committee is an internal party affair that the court cannot interfere with.
The Northern Central APC Group had challenged Ganduje’s appointment, claiming it breached Article 13 of the APC Constitution since he’s not from the North Central geo-political zone, whose turn it was to fill the position . They also argued that the appointment wasn’t done through a democratic process as required by the party’s law.
The plaintiff sought an order restraining Ganduje from parading himself as APC chairman and directing INEC not to recognize actions taken by the APC since Ganduje’s appointment on August 3, 2023
The plaintiff sought an order restraining Ganduje from parading himself as APC chairman and directing INEC not to recognize actions taken by the APC since Ganduje’s appointment on August 3, 2023. However, the court dismissed the suit, bringing an end to the legal challenge against Ganduje’s chairmanship
