North Central APC Forum will appeal court ruling on Ganduje – Zazzaga

The North Central All Progressives Congress (APC) has said it will appeal last Monday’s ruling by a Federal High Court in Abuja which dismissed their suit seeking the removal of Abdullahi Ganduje as the party’s National Chairman.

The Forum also said it won’t allow the tussle between it and Ganduje over the party’s National Chairmanship position to disorganise the party in the region.

According to the forum, Ganduje’s issue was already trying to cause disorganisation in the party in the region.

Addressing newsmen in Jos the Plateau State capital yesterday, the Chairman of the Forum, Alhaji Saleh Zazzaga, also spoke about their case against Ganduje for the Chairmanship position.

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According to him, the group will pursue all diligent means possible to fight for the return of the national chairmanship position of the party to the region.

He pointed out that the interpretation of the 2022 constitution of the APC as amended, which outlined the zoning arrangement was neglected by the court.

It would be recalled that the North Central APC Forum had dragged Ganduje, APC and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) before the court.

Their prayers were the nullification of the appointment of Ganduje as the National Chairman of the party, saying it is a violation of the party’s 2022 constitution as amended as well as the zoning arrangement of the party.

According to the forum, the appointment of Ganduje breached Article 13 of the APC Constitution because it was not done through a democratic process enshrined in the party’s law.

However, in his last Monday’s judgement of the suit, Justice Inyang Ekwo dismissed the suit, saying the APC North Central Forum is not a juristic person and not registered in law, and that it has no legal power to file the suit.

Justice Ekwo also maintained that the plaintiff failed to explore the internal mechanism for peaceful resolution of issues before rushing to the court and that the appointment of officers for APC by its National Executive Committee is an internal affair of the party which no court can dabble into.

Reacting to the judgement, however, Zazzaga told newsmen that they would appeal the judgement, stressing that they would pursue their cause to a legal and logical conclusion.

He said: “The North Central APC forum is well recognised as a support group within the party since 2018, and the evidence of the letter of recognition as a support group is there.

“Besides, we are chieftains and members of the party alike, and as individuals and groups, can’t we express our grievances if we feel that the party’s constitution is being fouled, can’t we seek legal redress as either individual or group?