By Henry Umoru, Omeiza Ajayi & Bashir Bello

ABUJA – A Federal High Court in Kano has halted the suspension of the National Chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, Dr Abdullahi Ganduje, by his ward.

The order is the sequel to an ex parte motion filed by Dr Ganduje seeking to enforce his fundamental right to a fair hearing.
According to the certified true copy of the order seen by Vanguard, the respondents in the application are the Police, Department of State Services DSS, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, and nine other individuals.

APC executives in Ganduje ward of Dawakin Tofa LGA of Kano State had on April 16, suspended him over alleged corruption.
The decision was quashed by both the State Working Committee, SWC, of the APC in Kano and the National Working Committee, NWC.
A judge of the Kano State High Court, Usman Na’abba, however, affirmed the suspension.

However, in the ex parte order delivered on Wednesday by the Federal High Court and made available to journalists, yesterday, A.M Liman, a judge of the Federal High Court in Kano said the purported suspension should not be implemented until the case is heard and determined.

“That all the Respondents, their servants, agents or privies are hereby restrained from Implementing and/or giving effect to the purported decision reached during the purported emergency meeting of the alleged Executive members of APC Ganduje Ward, held at Ganduje Ward of Dawakin Tofa Local.

“That all the parties are hereby mandated to maintain status quo before the purported emergency meeting of the alleged executive members of APC Ganduje Ward, and to stay action in respect of this matter pending the hearing and determination of the substantive application,” Liman said.

The judge subsequently fixed April 30 to hear Ganduje’s appeal.

Face your self-inflicted travails, NNPP lashes Ganduje

Meanwhile, the New Nigeria Peoples Party, NNPP, has lampooned Ganduje for dragging the opposition party into his problems.
Addressing journalists yesterday in Abuja, the Acting National Chairman of the NNPP, Dr. Ajuji Ahmed said: “It came to our notice that the suspended National Chairman of the APC, Alhaji Abdullahi Ganduje, yesterday (Wednesday) claimed that his travails i.e. his Suspension and criminal case were engineered by our National Leader, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso and Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf. We must state categorically that our leaders have nothing to do with this claim and that Alhaji Ganduje should face his self-inflicted travails and not use the NNPP or its leaders as distractions from the facts.”
Recall that DR Ganduje, the APC in Kano and at the national level had dismissed those who suspended the APC chairman as impersonators sponsored by the NNPP in Kano.

Specifically, the Chairman of Ganduje Ward APC, Alhaji Ahmed Koko, said the purported suspension of the national chairman was announced by non-APC members in the ward. “Those who addressed the press conference were sponsored by the NNPP state government, and from the record of the party at the Ward, Local Government and State, are not card-carrying members of the APC,” Koko said, while addressing a press conference in Kano late Monday evening on behalf of the Ward and Local Government executive committee members.

Speaking on the issues, the Acting NNPP national chairman distanced the party from the travails of Ganduje.

He also dismissed insinuations that the National Leader of NNPP, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso and the party were moving against Ganduje to take over the APC ahead of 2027 elections, saying that there were no plans to collapse the structure into the APC, saying rather the wish of the party is that APC should be swallowed by the NNPP.

He also dismissed the suspension of Governor Yusuf of Kano State from the NNPP, saying that the Governor is a bonafide member and a worthy ambassador of the NNPP whose leadership and unprecedented achievements in Kano State were sources of pride, adding that the NNPP has no reason to suspend him and did not suspend him.

Ajuji Ahmed told Governor Yusuf: “We have invited you to our National Headquarters today to set the records straight on issues concerning our great party, and especially, our amiable and wonderfully performing Governor of Kano State, Alhaji Abba Kabir Yusuf. For record purpose, Governor Kabir Yusuf is a bonafide member of our great party and a worthy Ambassador of NNPP whose leadership and unprecedented achievements in Kano State are a thing of pride and as such we have no reason to suspend him. In essence, the NNPP did not suspend our governor.

“Nigerians were amused earlier this week when expelled political comedians, hirelings and clowns craving for relevance announced the suspension of the party’s action Governor Abba Yusuf for attending the NNPP national convention. The jokers played back a broken record and poorly scripted movie of suspension of the Kano State Governor as their sponsors and target audience no longer listen to the endless suspension and expulsion of Engr Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, the National Leader of the party.

“These political jobbers were also the ones hired to scuttle Governor Abba Yusuf’s election at the Tribunal, Court of Appeal and Supreme Court falsely claiming that he was not a member of the party and as such not duly and properly nominated by the party as its candidate for the 2023 general election.

“These same set of people have at various times instituted several suits in court challenging the leadership of the party and recently tried to scuttle the National Executive Committee, NEC, meeting and the National Convention held on Friday, April 5, 2024, and Saturday, April 6, 2024

“The courts, being temples of justice and beacons of hope for sustainable democracy in Nigeria dismissed many of their suits, including the one which judgment was given earlier today: Suit No: FHC/ABJ/CS/1352/2023 NNPP VS INEC.”