JOS – The North Central All North Central Progressives Congress (APC) Forum, has said it will never allow Abdullahi Ganduje to cause disinfection and disunity in the party in the region because that is ultimately what he appears to be aiming at.
Speaking with newsmen in Jos the Plateau State capital on Sunday,the Chairman of the Forum, Alhaji Saleh Zazzaga, said they will pursue all diligent means possible to fight for the return of the National Chairmanship position of the party to the region.
Zazzaga pointed out that they will appeal last Monday’s ruling by a Federal High Court in Abuja which dismissed their suit seeking the removal of Ganduje as the National Chairman of the party, saying interpretation of the 2022 constitution of the APC as amended, which outlined the zoning arrangement was neglected by the court.
Recalled that the North Central APC Forum had dragged Ganduje, APC and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) before the court praying for the nullification of appointment of Ganduje as the National Chairman of the party.
The party had said the appointment is a violations of the party’s constitution 2022 as amended as well as the zoning arrangement for the party for the Chairmanship position of the party from North Central and not the North West region where Ganduje came from.
Also, the forum claimed that 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.
But in his Monday’s judgement of the suit, Justice Inyang Ekwo dismissed the suit on some grounds.
According to Justice Ekwo, 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.
Also, Ekwo said that the plaintiff failed to explore the internal mechanism for peaceful resolution of issues before rushing to the court, adding 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.
Advertisement
But reacting to the judgement, the Chairman of the North Central APC Forum, Saleh Zazzaga, has said they will appeal the judgement, and that they will pursue their cause to a legal and logical conclusion.
“The North Central APC forum is well recognized 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 constitution is being fouled, can’t we seek legal redress as either individual or group? We are even more formidable than some party members and groups who have sought legal redress to contestable issues which remain unresolved.
“And on the issue which the court said we didn’t seek internal crisis resolution mechanism, we have pursued our cause through varied means but we were not paid attention. We have consulted and aired our grievances through the party stakeholders in the region, we have protested again and again and we have also done Media publications to that effect, among other things.
“So, if these and more were engaged in without result and we approached the court to seek redress, what is wrong about that, since it’s legal means that we followed? But the defendant’s argument was what the judgement almost recounted, without considering our key arguments that are facts based.
“Nevertheless we will keep pursuing our case to the end. At least, posterity will judge us fairly that we have legally and legitimately pursued a good and honest cause within the party.
“And as for Ganduje, we will not allow him to destroy the APC in the North Central region. Since we have been pursuing our demand for the region, some people for their selfish interests have been lobbied to betray the region.
“We saw some of them who rushed to Ganduje to congratulate him after the court judgment. Is it not laughable that one is celebrating a judgement against his own region for what is constitutionally arranged to be for the region?
“Our joy remains that our fight is not that of a selfish interest but for the people of the North Central region and for their democratic benefits. All we want is fairness and equity. And for all those betraying the region, we know them and we will address their betrayal accordingly in the shortest possible time,” he said.
He called on President Bola Tinubu to consider their cause, saying that Ganduje’s remaining in office will make the people of the North Central region to feel relegated to the background, and that could affect the party in the region because most stakeholders are united in the struggle.
