On Thursday, the Supreme Court reserves ruling on the conflict engulfing the Kano All Progressives Congress.
The APC, Governor Mai Mala Buni, Senator John Akpanudoedehe, Olayide Adewale Akinremi, Senator Abba Ali, Dr Tony Macfoy, Auwalu Abdullahi, Usman Kaita, Adebayo Iyaniwura, and the Independent National Electoral Commission are the appellants in the case, while the respondents are the APC, Governor Mai Mala Buni, Senator John Akpanudoede
A Federal Capital Territory High Court in Abuja ordered the wards congress held by the Governor Abdullahi Ganduje faction of the APC in Kano to be unlawful, null, and void on November 30, 2021.
Similarly, on December 17, the court, headed over by Justice Hamza Muazu, validated the Senator Ibrahim Shekarau faction’s local government congresses.
On February 17, 2022, the Ganduje group filed an appeal with the Court of Appeal, which nullified the lower court judgment that had given Senator Ibrahim Shekarau’s APC G-7 faction victory.
Following the acceptance of all of the parties’ submissions in the appeal, the Supreme Court’s five-member panel, led by Justice Mary Peter Odili, adjourned and reserved decision on Thursday.
Fagge, the counsel for the first, second, and third respondents, respectively, filed a preliminary objection to the appeal’s hearing, claiming that one of the appellants’ prayers concerned national delegates to the party’s convention, which had been overtaken since the convention had taken place, and that the exercise had become academic.
Nuraini Jimoh, counsel for the appellants, said the appeal was contesting the Court of Appeal’s judgment, which was delivered 73 days after filing, in violation of Section 285(12) of the Constitution, which specified that verdicts in pre-election proceedings should be delivered within 60 days.
The date for the verdict would be informed to the parties in the appeal, according to the apex court.
