Sokoto APC: Court of Appeal strikes out suit against exco

The Court of Appeal in Abuja has struck out the appeal by a faction of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Sokoto State challenging the executive of the party in the state. A three-member panel of justices presided by Justice Williams Daudu in the judgment held that the three appeals lack merit and were not […]

The Court of Appeal in Abuja has struck out the appeal by a faction of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Sokoto State challenging the executive of the party in the state.

A three-member panel of justices presided by Justice Williams Daudu in the judgment held that the three appeals lack merit and were not justiciable.

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The panel further held that the matter borders on the internal affairs of the party and not the duty of the court to determine a political party’s leaders.

The panel said the court can only intervene in matters affected by Section 285(14)(C), which deals with infractions arising from a primary to nominate candidates for elections.

The panel, in the lead judgment read by Justice A.B. Mohammed, further ruled that the Federal High Court in Sokoto, which had earlier dismissed the suit on the grounds of statute barred based on the provision of Section 285(9) of the Nigerian Constitution of 1999, as amended, lacked the jurisdiction to entertain the originating summons.

Aggrieved members of the APC, Mainasara Abubakar Sani Rabiu Ibrahim and Aminu Ganda had filed the appeal challenging the recognition of Isa Sadiq Acida and Hassan Bello as state officers of the party.

This followed two parallel congresses, which recognized the different factions as executives of the party.