The National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress, Felix Morka, on Thursday, confirmed the party’s decision not to comply with an earlier court order demanding the suspension of Abdullahi Ganduje as the national chairman.
During an appearance on Arise TV, Morka clarified that Ganduje had not been officially notified of the restraining order against him.
Morka underscored the party’s support for a subsequent decision by the Kano Federal High Court, which issued a stay on the previous order.
This development followed a session where another judge, Justice A.M Liman, paused Ganduje’s suspension, which had been initiated by ward executives in Dawakin Tofa Local Government Area.
Ganduje had sought this intervention through an exparte motion to protect his right to a fair hearing, with entities including the Nigerian Police and Department of State Services listed as respondents.
Highlighting the rationale behind disregarding the initial court order, Morka stated, “The order issued by the first court was very disturbing, for some reasons. First, the plaintiffs who purportedly filed that action are not recognised members of our party and therefore shouldn’t have the locus standi to invoke the authority of the court to make any such order.”
Morka further critiqued the judicial process, saying, “Secondly, every lawyer in this country is aware that from the Supreme Court up to the NJC, there is this cautiousness that judges don’t make orders that are far-reaching in effect on an exparte motion or application. When you see the nature of the case and observe it is likely to cause the defendant substantial exposure to ridicule and justice, you put that defendant on notice within the context of even that exparte application; so that the justice of the matter can be met.”
Morka continued, “But this judge, in this case upheld the illegal suspension of a national chairman, did so on an ex parte application, which shouldn’t really be. Being a lawyer, I have a lot of respect for the court and won’t say much. But be that as it may, as I speak, that order of the Kano State High Court purportedly affirming the suspension of our national chairman has not been served on the party and the national chairman himself.”
He concluded, “So this conversation and every other one relating to this has really been based on media reports. In other words, we do not have legal notice of that order. So the question of how we react to it or whether we will respect it or not is out of it because we have not been served. In the meantime, this Federal Court has issued a prohibition, an order restraining the impersonators who are the plaintiffs in that matter from enforcing that suspension. We are right now in the stage of status quo where we were before the purported suspension of Ganduje as the national chairman. He still remains our national chairman.”
