The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) got enmeshed in leadership crisis this week when the Ganduje Ward in the Dawakin Tofa Local Government Area of Kano State, on Monday, suspended the National Chairman of the party, Abdullahi Ganduje, over bribery allegations levelled against him by the Kano State government. The party leadership at the centre has made repeated efforts to save Ganduje but it appears he’s up against forces in the state being influenced by the governor, Abba Kabir Yusuf, and the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP). Even if he eventually extricates himself from the entanglements of the state politics, he would definitely have his fingers scalded by the heat arising from his feud with the state government to which he handed over power.
Recall that the Kano High Court had said Ganduje would, on April 17, 2024, be arraigned on charges bordering on allegations of bribery, diversion, and misappropriation of funds, including the purported acceptance of $413,000 and N1.38bn in bribes. The Kano State Attorney General and Commissioner of Justice, Haruna Dederi, who confirmed the development, said Ganduje would be arraigned alongside his wife and six others.
The accused individuals, as listed in the writ of summons, include Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, Hafsat Umar, Abubakar Bawuro, Umar Abdullahi Umar, Jibrilla Muhammad, Lamash Properties Ltd, Safari Textiles Ltd, and Lesage General Enterprises.
The Kano State government, which initiated the criminal suit against the eight respondents, declared its readiness to present 15 witnesses to testify before Justice Usman Na’aba of State High Court number four.
“It is very true. We have filed the case and it’s going to hold on the 17th of April, 2024. What I cannot confirm is whether he is served or not, but he will definitely be served,” he said.
Dederi further highlighted the significance of accountability in governance, remarking, “What he (Ganduje) doesn’t understand is that you cannot run away from the evil day, it will definitely come to you, and this will even serve as a deterrence to all of us that are also in government now.”
The commissioner who also addressed the jurisdictional aspect of the case, reminded the public that Ganduje had said “we can’t prosecute him, forgetting that the offence also falls under the category of the state offences.” According to the commissioner, “It’s not totally a federal affair and we have even appealed to Justice Liman ruling on that.”
SWIMMING AGAINST THE TIDE
As soon as he received the report of his suspension, Ganduje had described those who announced the suspension as impostors, assuring that they would face the wrath of the law.
Addressing a delegation of APC members from Kano State who paid a solidarity visit to him at the headquarters of the party in Abuja, on Wednesday, Ganduje disclosed that the party had written to the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, to investigate and arrest those involved in his suspension.
The party’s National Publicity Secretary stated that the perpetrators of the “criminal act” were not card carrying members or legitimate officials of the APC in Ganduje’s ward.
It said the party’s legal adviser in Ganduje’s ward in Tofa Local Government Area of Kano State, Haladu Maigwanjo, on Monday announced his suspension at a press conference in Kano.
The national spokesman of the APC in the statement on Tuesday asked the top echelon of the police to fish out perpetrators of the “crime” and bring them to justice.
According to the party, “The purported suspension was the devious act of a group of impersonators of ward officials out to cause mischief and create confusion in the otherwise peaceful Ganduje Ward chapter of our party.
“The perpetrators of this criminal act are not card carrying members of APC in the ward but are individuals affiliated with senior officials and representatives of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP).
“This act procured by officials of the ruling NNPP in Kano is part of the despicable programme of political persecution launched by the administration of Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf against Dr. Ganduje, a former governor of Kano State.
“The purported suspension is downright criminal and of no effect whatsoever. The legitimate Executive Committee of the Ganduje Ward has since denounced the action and reaffirmed Dr. Ganduje as a bona fide member of the party in the ward, and in good standing.
The party has filed a petition with the Inspector-General of Police requesting an expedited investigation of this matter and that the perpetrators and their sponsors be brought to justice.
“We urge our party faithful and the general public to disregard reports of the suspension of the National Chairman who is, and remains, the National Chairman of our great party.”
The Kano State APC has also suspended the ward party leaders who earlier suspended Ganduje.
Chairman, Inusa Dawanau, told reporters that those behind the suspension of the party’s national chairman were caught in anti-party activities, and their records of meetings with the opposition were exposed.
The state Working Committee adopted the suspension of the ward’s APC leaders, which was behind the suspension of the National Chairman of the party.
It said: “They (party leaders) have sanctioned them for six months, and a special investigations panel has been set up to verify several allegations against them.”
According to the committee, Ganduje’s suspension was invalid, null and void and could not stand.
The state’s APC chairman, Alhaji Abdullahi Abbas, said they had since adopted the decisions of the local government party leaders and were now investigating the culprits’ anti-party activities.
“We have evidence of meetings between the State Government officials and those who suspended the National Chairman, and the State Working Committee has agreed to sanction them for six months. They will remain suspended until the expiration of the period,” Abbas said.
The Federal High Court in Kano had ruled that the Kano Public Compliant and Anti-Corruption Commission lacked the power to investigate Ganduje over an alleged $5m bribery video.
While delivering his judgment, Justice Abdullahi Liman said the offence was a federal offence that could be prosecuted by the Attorney General of the Federation and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
Executives of the APC in Dawakin Tofa Local Government Ward in Kano State, on Wednesday, denied being behind Monday’s suspension of the party’s National Chairman, Abdullahi Ganduje.
The rebuttal was made by the Legal Adviser of Dawakin Tofa Local Government Ward in Kano State, Halliru Gwanzo, when he led a 27-member delegation on a solidarity visit to Ganduje at the party secretariat. Gwanzo also said that he knew nothing about Wednesday’s court case filed against the former Kano State governor.
The development is coming two days after the same politician told journalists in Kano that the decision to suspend the former governor was taken by the APC ward leadership.
Gwanzo had cited the bribery charges filed against Ganduje by the Kano State government and his arraignment scheduled for Thursday as the reason for their action.
Addressing newsmen in Abuja on Wednesday, Gwanzo, who claimed he was impersonated, begged the ruling party to probe the matter and punish those found culpable.
He said: “I am here today with 27 members from our ward in Dawakin Tofa Local Government in Kano State to tell the whole world that we know nothing about the purported suspension of our national chairman. It is not true.
“I was surprised, just like every other person, to see my name again as one of the plaintiffs that took legal action against him this morning. It is utterly false.
“I know nothing about all these allegations, and I am using this opportunity to call on the leadership of our great party and the National Working Committee to go after the impersonators. They should not be spared. We know this is orchestrated by the NNPP government and the Kwankwasiyya group.”
COURT AFFIRMS SUSPENSION
Meanwhile, a Kano State High Court on Wednesday issued an ex parte order affirming the suspension of Ganduje as the National Chairman of the APC.
Justice Usman Malam Na’abba, presiding over the court, granted the order in response to an exparte motion filed by two executive members of the APC from the Ganduje ward, Laminu Sani and Haladu Gwanjo.
The motion, filed on behalf of the ward, sought the suspension of the APC chairman, alleging misconduct and breaches of party regulations.
The court’s ruling mandated Ganduje to cease all activities associated with his position as the National Chairman of the APC, effectively halting his involvement in the affairs of the National Working Committee (NWC).
Justice Na’abba emphasised the need for maintaining the status quo, instructing all parties involved to uphold the suspension pending the substantive suit scheduled for April 30, 2024.
The court directed the four parties (respondents) joined in the matter, including the APC, NWC, APC Kano State Working Committee, and Ganduje, to henceforth, maintain status quo ante belum as of April 15, 2024, pending the hearing and determination of the substantive suit on April 30, 2024.
Justice Na’abba, also held as prayed, stopped State Working Committee APC Kano from interfering with the legally and validly considered decision of executives of Ganduje ward, essentially on action endorsed by a two-thirds majority of the executives as provided by the party constitution.
The ex parte order read,, “An order is hereby granted directing all parties in the suit APC (first), APC National Working Committee (second), Kano State Working Committee APC (third), Dr. Abdullah Umar Ganduje (fourth), to maintain status quo ante belum as of April 15, 2024.
”The order thereby restraining the first respondent (APC) from recognising the fourth respondent (Ganduje) as a member of APC and prohibiting the fourth respondent (Ganduje) from presiding over any affairs of the NWC and restraining the state Working Committee from interfering with the legally and validly decision of the ward executives of Ganduje ward.
“That the fourth respondent (Ganduje) is prohibited from parading himself as a member of APC or doing any act that may portray him or seem to be a member of APC pending the hearing and determination of the substantive suit.”
Nine members of the Ganduje ward proclaimed the suspension of the National Chairman of the APC over the allegation of corruption slammed on him by the Kano State Government.
The nine APC executives said they were prompted to act following a petition written by one Ja’afaru Adamu, a member of the APC from the National Chairman’s polling unit.
In the petition, Adamu complained over allegations of corruption charges against the former governor just as he urged the ward leaders to investigate the matter to redeem the dented image of the party and the implication on President Bola Tinubu’s fight against corruption.
Although the chairman and secretary of the ward failed to act on the petition filed on April 8, 2024, nine members of the executives, led by the legal adviser, acted upon the petition, a decision that led to Ganduje’s suspension.
PARTY REJECTS COURT’S DECISION
The National Working Committee NWC of the APC reacted to the order of the Kano State High Court which affirmed the suspension of Ganduje, describing it as a nullity.
The development came on Wednesday as Ganduje received the APC Ward Executives from his Ganduje Ward in Kano State who were at the national secretariat of the party to affirm their confidence in him.
Addressing the ward executives, Ganduje said those who purportedly suspended him were impostors.
Also speaking, National Legal Adviser of the Party, Prof. Abdulkarim Kana, said the Kano High Court order is not enforceable as it was obtained by fraud.
He said the ward executives would petition the National Judicial Council NJC to call the high court judge to order.
A pro-democracy group under the auspices of National Democratic Front (NDF) also faulted Wednesday ruling of the Kano State High Court.
NDF, in a statement signed by its president, Dr. Abdulkadir Bolaji, on the heels of the court order which became public on Wednesday, described it as “judicial rascality taken too far”, which must be quickly looked into by the National Judicial Council (NJC).
Dr. Bolaji insisted that the order was totally against the Court of Appeal Practice Directive, where Judicial officers had been warned to stop meddling in political affairs and remain wholly apolitical.
The group’s president wondered why barely 48 hours after the purported sacking of Ganduje By his Ward Executives, which both the Kano State and National Working Committees of the party have dismissed as “Devious Act Of Imposters”, some elements with their collaborators in the judiciary allegedly procured a court order stopping Ganduje from remaining in office.
“It is also ironic that within 48hrs of the purported sacking of Ganduje, the criminal elements in cahoots with their agents in the judiciary have suddenly sat and issued an order of court to stop His Excellency Abdullahi Ganduje from remaining in office. This is sad and totally unacceptable.
“We call on the highest level of the judiciary, especially the NJC to immediately wade into this obnoxious display of judicial rascality by the Kano State High Court because the order is further damage to the already battered image of the judiciary.
“One will wonder why a court would, with the speed of light, give such order when the both the Kano State and National Working Committee (NWC) of the APC have dismissed the purported suspension of His Excellency, Dr. Ganduje. The action clearly showed a conspiracy of those who are worried by the rising political profile of Dr. Ganduje and their collaborators in the judiciary. This is unacceptable and cannot stand,” Bolaji stated.
The NWC of the APC described the court order that affirmed the suspension of Ganduje as unlawful.
Addressing a press conference at the APC Abuja National Secretariat on Wednesday, the National Legal Adviser of the party, Professor Abdulkarim Kana, insisted that the court order was a nullity.
The press conference followed a courtesy visit to the national chairman by the Ganduje Ward and Local Government exco.
“We’re also hearing this afternoon that they used the same document to go to court to obtain an order of the court. We haven’t seen the order, but we have heard about it.
“Whatever order that will emanate from such a document, and all of us know – even a 100 level law student will tell you that an order obtained by fraud is an unlawful order – it will not be enforceable, and it will not be recognised and it will not be respected.”
Kana insisted that those behind Ganduje’s suspension were not APC members, stating that the judgement was faulty in many ways.
“We heard this afternoon, but we have not seen any court order, they used the same fraudulent document in court.
“But whatever kind of order that will emanate from such judgement is an unlawful order because it is obtained by fraud.
“The individuals who are behind this are not APC members and not members of the Kano State executive of our party, we don’t know them,” Kana said.
He added the real executives of Dawakin Tofa ward of the party had since disassociated themselves from the purported suspension of Ganduje from the party.
He said the executives were working on plans to petition the National Judicial Council (NJC) over the order, adding that the party’s leadership had also petitioned the Inspector General of Police (IGP) to take action on the matter.
As has already been observed, Ganduje is possibly standing on a slippery ground at the moment as his dispute with forces in his state threaten to pull him down. How long he remains standing in his official capacity as national chairman of the ruling APC will depend on his ability to rally support from all other sections of the party and the Presidency (which has so far been his strongest support base), as well as his moral past which his traducers have made the basis of their attack.
Credit to Independent.ng