A Kano high court has issued an order halting the suspension of the national chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Abdullahi Ganduje, from his party.
Justice A.M Liman gave this interim ruling in response to an ex parte motion filed by Ganduje, wherein he sought to enforce his fundamental right to a fair hearing.
The suspension, initially enforced on April 15 by APC executives in Dawakin ward, Tofa LGA of Kano, came after Ganduje was accused of corruption.
The Kano State APC working committee quickly overturned this local party action, which also disciplined the ward executives involved in Ganduje’s suspension.
However, to complicate matters further, Justice Usman Na’Abba of the Kano High Court previously upheld the suspension, deepening the legal and political intrigue surrounding the case.
The respondents named in Ganduje’s application included not only local party officials but also major national security agencies like the police, the Department of State Services (DSS), and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).
Justice Liman’s order temporarily stops any enforcement of Ganduje’s suspension, stipulating that no action should be taken until the case is fully heard and a determination is made.
“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.
