A Kano State High Court has vacated its own earlier judgment suspending former governor of the state, Abdullahi Ganduje, as National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
In a ruling on Monday, April 22, Usman Na’Abba, the judge, granted an interim injunction staying the court’s directive that parties should maintain status quo ante belum as of April 15, 2023.
“An order of interim injunction is hereby granted staying the execution of the order of interim injunction contained in the ruling of this court delivered on 17h April 2024 directing parties to maintain status quo ante as at the 15th day of April 2024 in relation to the suspension of the 4th respondent/applicant from the 1st respondent by the Ganduje Ward Executive Committee pending the hearing and determination of the 4th respondent/applicant motion on notice,” he said.
On April 17, Na’Abba granted an ex parte order restraining Ganduje from parading himself as the party’s chairman.
Ibrahim Sa’ad filed the application on behalf of Laminu Sani and Haladu Gwanjo, two executive members of Ganduje’s ward in Dawakin-Tofa Local Government Area (LGA).
“An order is hereby granted directing all parties in the suit, Dr. Abdullah Umar Ganduje (fourth), APC National Working Committee (second), APC State Working Committee (third), and APC (first), to maintain status quo ante belum as of April 15, 2024,” Na’Abba had said.
Nine members of the ward executives suspended Ganduje following the state government’s corruption allegations against him.
Meanwhile, Ganduje was captured in a viral video after the suspension, saying he was unshakeable and remained the party’s national chairman.
He boasted that he had met with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who had guaranteed his position as party chairman.
“Tell Kano State government that the seat of national chairman of APC in Nigeria is on Abdullahi Umar Ganduje. We are here unshakable,” Ganduje said.
On April 3, the Kano State government dragged Gaduje, his wife, Hafsat Umar, and five others to court over eight corruption charges, amounting to billions of naira during his eight years in government.
By April 16, Kano’s Public Compliant and Anti-Corruption Commission (PCACC) revealed that it filed fresh corruption charges against the former governor, as N51.3 billion, meant to be local government funds, was sent to other individuals from the state’s purse, under his watch.
“We have piled a series of cases. We have a case whereby N1 billion in April last year (2023) was removed from government coffers under the allocation of renovating 30 roads in the metropolis, and it was taken away and sent to Bureau de Change.
“We have a case of N4 billion whereby it was sent from the consolidated revenue account of Kano State to an agricultural company. All these cases are before the court,” the PCACC chairman Muhuyi Magaji Rimingado said of the ex-governor.
Ijeoma Opara is a journalist with The ICIR. Reach her via vopara@icirnigeria.org or @ije_le on Twitter.