The application granted by Usman Na'abba on Tuesday follows an exparte motion filed by Ibrahim Sa'ad on behalf of two executive members of APC Ganduje ward, Dawakin-Tofa Local Government Area.
The Kano State High Court has granted an order restraining the National Chairman of All Progressives Congress (APC), Abdullahi Ganduje, from parading himself as a party member.
The court also ordered Mr Ganduje to stop presiding over the affairs of the National Working Committee (NWC) of the APC.
It gave the ruling on Wednesday as an ex parte order, meaning that the lawyers to Mr Ganduje and the other adverse parties sued in the case did not participate in the hearing leading to the issuance of the order. The judge heard only the plaintiff's lawyer.
The application granted by Usman Na'abba on Tuesday followed an exparte motion filed by Ibrahim Sa'ad on behalf of two executive members of APC Ganduje ward, Dawakin-Tofa Local Government Area of the state.
An alleged APC assistant secretary, Laminu Sani, and legal adviser, Haladu Maigwanjo, from the ward, who suspended the APC National Chairman on Monday, were among the plaintiffs.
The court directed the four parties (respondents) joined in the matter, including the APC, APC NWC, APC Kano State Working Committee, and Abdullahi Ganduje, to maintain the status quo ante belum as from 15 April, pending the hearing and determination of the substantive suit on 30 April.
The judge also, as prayed, stopped the State Working Committee of APC Kano from interfering with the decision of the ward executives, saying it was endorsed by a two-third majority of the executives as required by the party's constitution.
"An order is at this moment granted directing all parties in the suit APC (1st), APC National Working Committee (2nd), Kano State Working Committee APC (3rd), Dr Abdullah Umar Ganduje (4th), to maintain status quo ante belum as of 15th April 2024.
"The order thereby restraining the 1st respondent (APC) from recognising the 4th respondent (Ganduje) as a member of APC and prohibiting the 4th respondent (Ganduje) from presiding over any affairs of the NWC and restraining the state Working Committee from interfering with the legally and validly decision of the ward executives of Ganduje ward.
"That the 4th respondent (Ganduje) is prohibited from parading himself as a member of APC or doing any act that may portray him or seem to be a member of APC pending the hearing and determination of the substantive suit", the judge ruled.
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Background of the feud
PREMIUM TIMES reported how some APC members in Ganduje ward suspended the party's National Chairman, Mr Ganduje.
The party's legal adviser in the ward, Mr Maigwanjo, alongside others, announced the suspension at a press conference in Kano on Monday.
Mr Maigwanjo said Mr Ganduje was suspended from the party to allow him to face an allegation of corruption levelled against him by the Kano State Government.
"The members decided to suspend the national chairman's membership after a vote of no confidence was passed on him due to his inability to clear his name from various allegations of corruption against him, which range from the circulated dollar videos where he was allegedly collecting bribe from contractors", Mr Maigwanjo said.
He said the suspension was with immediate effect.
But in a swift response, the State Working Committee of the APC sanctioned the Ganduje ward executives hours after the suspension was announced.
The state chairman of the party, Abdullahi Abbas, announced the suspension of the Ganduje ward executives for six months for anti-party activities.
"We have evidence of meetings between the State Government officials and those that suspended the National Chairman, and the state working committee has agreed to sanction them for six months and they stand suspended," Mr Abbas said.
Mr Abbas said the suspension announced by the ward executives is invalid, null and void and urged concerned parties not to bother about it.
