Ganduje vs Shekarau: Appeal Court fixes Dec 16 for hearing on Kano APC congresses

By ZAHRADDEEN YAKUBU SHUAIBU, Kano

A Court of Appeal in Abuja has fixed December 16, 2021, for hearing in an application for a stay of execution of an FCT High Court ruling that voided the Kano ward congresses conducted by the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state.

The National Headquarters of the ruling party said the Congress Committee members filed a motion before the Abuja Division of the court, on Monday.

In a statement on Tuesday, Kano Commissioner for Information, Malam Muhammad Garba, stated that the APC was contesting the jurisdiction of the court to entertain such case brought before it.

He said the party was seeking an interlocutory injunction that would restrain the respondents from taking steps to give effect to the High Court ruling, pending hearing of the appeal by the appellate court on December 16, 2021.

Garba added that in the motion, the APC submitted that the chairman and the secretary of the congress committee joined in the case were not contacted despite the fact their phone numbers and contact addresses were captured in the case, even as they have never met the said lawyers that represented them and therefore have not been given fair hearing.

The commissioner further explained that similar scenario played out in the case of ward executive committee members who were kept in the dark and could not be afforded fair hearing and access to the said lawyers assigned to represent them.

He said as the national headquarters of the party filed the two motions before the appeal court, it urged party members to exercise patience and restraint and be law abiding as it pursues the legal processes.

However, this is contrary to the statement of the All Progressives Congress (APC) headquarters on Monday, where the party said it is yet to receive and study the recent High Court judgment recognising Senator Ibrahim Shekarau’s faction as legitimate.

Secretary of the APC Caretaker/Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee, Senator John James Akpanudoedehe, stated this while speaking with journalists, in Abuja.

He said, “We are responsible leaders of the party and we won’t like to comment on a judgment that we haven’t seen. All I can tell you now is that, we are going to apply for a Certified True Copy of the judgment. We haven’t seen it. We need to study the judgment.” (Daily Trust)