Kano APC crisis: Ganduje wins as appeal court overturns judgment recognising Shekarau faction

The court of appeal in the federal capital territory (FCT) has set aside a verdict of a lower court recognising the faction of Ibrahim Shekarau, a serving senator, as the authentic faction of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kano.

Factions loyal to Abdullahi Ganduje, Kano governor, and Shekarau have been at loggerheads over issues concerning leadership of the party in the state.

The rift worsened when the party conducted ward, LGA and state congresses across the country.

In Kano, factions of Ganduje and Shekarau produced different leaders — the Shekerau faction has Haruna Danzago as chairman, while Abdullahi Abbas is leader of the Ganduje faction.

But the national caretaker committee had recognised the Ganduje loyalists, following which the Shekarau faction approached the court to challenge the decision of the caretaker committee.

In November, the Shekarau faction secured an order from a federal capital territory (FCT) high court, nullifying the congress that produced Abbas.

The ruling was, however, eventually challenged at the court of appeal.

Hearing the appeal of the Ganduje faction at the court on Thursday, a panel of three judges — Haruna Tsammani, B.I. Gafai and J. Amadi — said the lower court did not have jurisdiction to entertain the matter.

The appellate court held that the matter was an intra-party issue and not a pre-election issue that could have been entertained by the lower court, and as such, the previous judgment was set aside.

Reacting to the decision of the court, Nureini Jimoh, counsel to the Shekarau faction, said his clients would head to the supreme court.

Jimoh, who spoke to journalists after the verdict was handed down, said it was shocking that they lost the case.