The Kano State High Court issued an ex parte order on Tuesday, restraining Abdullahi Ganduje, the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), from presenting himself as a member of the party. The order also directed Ganduje to refrain from overseeing the activities of the APC National Working Committee (NWC). This ruling came after Dr. Ibrahim Sa’ad filed an ex parte motion on behalf of two executive members from Ganduje’s ward, Dawakin-Tofa Local Government Area.

The plaintiffs, Laminu Sani (Assistant Secretary) and Haladu Gwanjo (Legal Adviser), along with seven other ward executives, suspended Ganduje on Monday. Justice Usman Na’abba granted the motion and ordered all parties involved, including the APC, APC NWC, APC Kano State Working Committee, and Ganduje, to maintain the status quo ante bellum as of April 15, 2024, pending the hearing of the substantive suit scheduled for April 30, 2024.

The court specifically prohibited the Kano State Working Committee of the APC from interfering with the decision of Ganduje ward executives, made with a two-thirds majority, as stipulated by the party’s constitution. The order also restrained Ganduje from representing himself as an APC member or engaging in any activities that might suggest his affiliation with the party until the substantive suit is determined.

The suspension of Ganduje by nine ward executives stemmed from allegations of corruption leveled against him by the Kano State Government. A petition submitted by Ja’afaru Adamu, an APC member from Ganduje’s polling unit, prompted the action. Despite the initial inaction by the ward’s chairman and secretary regarding the petition, the nine executives, led by the legal adviser, proceeded to suspend Ganduje based on the allegations outlined in the petition.