The Court of Appeal in Abuja has reversed an earlier judgment by Justice Hamza Muazu of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
The High Court had upheld the congresses held by former Governor Ibrahim Shekarau-led faction of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kano State.
A three-member panel of the court, led by Justice Haruna Tsammani, in three judgments yesterday, held that the High Court of the FCT acted without jurisdiction in hearing a case about local government and ward congresses conducted by the APC in Kano State.
Other members of the panel are: Justices Biobele Georgewill and B. I. Gafai.
The appellate court held that the dispute was not a pre-election one but one on internal affairs of the party, which should be decided by its leadership.
The court allowed the appeals for being meritorious and set aside the judgment given on November 30, 2021 by Justice Hamza Muazu of the High Court of the FCT.
The three appeals are: Olayide Adewale Akinremi and another vs. Murtaka Bala Salaiman and 17,916 others; APC vs. Muttaka Bala Sulaiman and 17,914 others; Dr. Tony Macfoy and Three Others vs. Musa Muhammad Bala and 1,320 others.
Owing to the crisis in the Kano State APC chapter, the two factions of the party conducted parallel congresses on October 18, 2021.
While the Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje-led faction returned Abdullahi Abbas as the State Chairman, the Shekarau faction produced Ahmadu Haruna Danzago.
The party’s national headquarters later endorsed the one conducted by the Ganduje faction, a decision that was challenged before the FCT High Court.
Also, Governor Ganduje has offered an olive branch to the Shekarau faction to enable the state strengthen the ruling party in the state.
Ganduje spoke yesterday at the national secretariat of the party in Abuja after Abbas received his Certificate of Return as the duly elected state chairman of the party from the Secretary of the Caretaker/Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC), Senator John James Akpanudoedehe.
