The Supreme Court has reserved the judgment on the crisis rocking the All Progressives Congress in Kano State.
Appellants in the suit are Musa Chola and 1,319 others while the respondents are 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.
It was gathered that a High Court sitting in Abuja, on November 30, 2021, declared the wards congress conducted by the Governor Abdullahi Ganduje faction of the APC in Kano illegal, null and void.
The court, presided over by Justice Hamza Muazu, on December 17, upheld the local government congresses conducted by the Senator Ibrahim Shekarau faction.
However, the Ganduje faction filed an appeal at the Court of Appeal, nullifying the lower court judgment that gave Senator Ibrahim Shekarau’s G-7 faction of the APC victory, on February 17, 2022.
The five-man-panel of the Supreme Court, led by Justice Mary Peter Odili, reserved judgment after the adoption of the briefs of all the parties in the appeal.
A preliminary objection was raised by Fagge, counsel to the first, second and third respondents, challenging the hearing of the appeal on grounds that one of the prayers of the appellants had to do with the national delegates to the convention of the party which had been overtaken since the convention held, stating that the exercise had become academic.
However, the counsel to the appellants, Nuraini Jimoh, said that the appeal was challenging the judgment of the Court of Appeal delivered 73 days after filing, contrary to Section 285(12) of the Constitution that stated that judgments should be delivered within 60 days in pre-election matters.
The date for the judgment would be communicated to the parties in the appeal, the court stated.
