Justice Inyang Ekwo of the Federal High Court in Abuja has dismissed a lawsuit seeking to remove Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje from his position as National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The ruling was delivered on Monday, September 23,2024, concluding that the plaintiff, the North Central APC Forum, did not have the legal standing to bring the case.
The judge supported the preliminary objections raised by the defendants. The second defendant argued that the plaintiff lacked the necessary “locus standi,” meaning they did not have the right to initiate the lawsuit.
Similarly, the third defendant contended that the “Northern Central APC Forum” was not a legally registered organization, further undermining the plaintiff’s case.
Justice Ekwo emphasized that it was the plaintiff’s responsibility to provide a certificate of registration from the Corporate Affairs Commission. He noted that the plaintiff’s group did not have the legal personality to file the suit, as it was not recognized under the law. Therefore, the court found that the group could not pursue the matter in court.
Additionally, the judge pointed out that the plaintiff failed to use the internal mechanisms available within the APC to resolve the issue before seeking judicial intervention. He stressed that disputes related to party appointments are internal matters, which are not subject to court review.
In his final ruling, Justice Ekwo stated, “I hereby dismiss this suit for lack of juristic personality of the claimant.” He reiterated that the plaintiff had no standing to bring the case and struck out the suit on these grounds. He affirmed that the issues raised were purely internal to the APC.
The lawsuit was filed by Saleh Zazzaga, representing the North Central APC Forum, and was marked as FHC/ABJ/CS/599/2024. The plaintiff challenged Ganduje’s appointment, arguing that it violated the APC Constitution since Ganduje is from Kano State in the North West, while his predecessor, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, was from Nasarawa State in the North Central zone.
The plaintiffs contended that Ganduje’s appointment breached Article 31.5(1) of the APC Constitution and exceeded the powers of the National Executive Committee (NEC).
They requested the court to prevent Ganduje from acting as the APC National Chairman and to instruct the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) not to recognize any actions taken by the party since Ganduje’s appointment on August 3, 2023. In a show of support, the APC State Chairmen recently passed a vote of confidence in Ganduje during a solidarity visit to the party’s secretariat in Abuja.