A Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja on Thursday set aside a judgment of the FCT High Court, delivered on December 16, 2021, which affirmed Mainasara Sani’s faction as the All Progressives Congress (APC) executives in Sokoto State.
The State chapter of the party is neck-deep in a crisis as two camps are claiming ownership.
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One of the APC factions in the state is loyal to a former governor of the state, Aliyu Wamakko, while the other is loyal to Senator Abubakar Gada.
The Wamakko’s camp had produced Isa Sadiq Achida as the state chairman of the party upon conclusion of its congress but the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice Abubakar Malami declared Mainasara Sani as the legitimate state chairman of the party in a state congress organised by the Senator Gada-led faction in the state.
The FCT High Court had earlier declined an application by Wamakko’s camp to set aside its earlier judgement over the disputed congresses in the state.
The Wamakko group however approached the appellate court to appeal the FCT High Court judgement.
Delivering a judgement on the matter, the presiding Justice, Court of Appeal, Haruna Simon Tsammani, nullified the judgement of the FCT High Court for lack of territorial jurisdiction.
Justice Tsammani stated that the FCT high court has no jurisdiction to entertain a matter on an issue that happened in Sokoto State.
“This court and the supreme had in many occasions made pronouncement on matter of jurisdiction. Bringing these kind of cases, you are asking us to sit over our own judgement.
“We should know that where a matter happened, that is where it should be addressed.
“How can someone come all the way from Sokoto to Abuja on a matter that should be addressed there? It is all these kind of arrangements we frown at and even the Supreme Court frown at.
“I also strike out the suit on the basis of lack of jurisdiction.
“Federal High Court Abuja has jurisdiction only on matters arising from Abuja. FCT High Court has no jurisdiction to hear the matter.
“Any stake, including decision and judgement done at the High Court is nulity,” Tsammani said.
