The State Working Committee (SWC) of the All Progressive Congress (APC) in Kano State has reversed the suspension of the National Chairman of the party, Abdullahi Ganduje, by the executive committee of Ganduje’s ward in Dawakin Tofa Local Government Area on Monday.
Ganduje was purportedly suspended by the ward excos, led by Haruna Gwanzo, over allegations of corruption levelled against him by the state government.
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Gwanzo, who announced Ganduje’s suspension during a press briefing in Kano, said the former governor must clear his name of the corruption allegations regarding his long-standing dollar case before he would be readmitted into the party
“We decided to suspend Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje from the party due to the seriousness of the allegations against him,” Gwanzo said.
Gwanzo stated that the suspension of Ganduje was connected to a dollar bribery scandal where he was seen in a video in 2017 receiving bundles of dollar notes as an alleged bribe from a man said to be a contractor and stuffing them in the pockets of his flowing gown known as ‘babanriga.’
But while reacting to the suspension, Chairman of the Kano State chapter of the APC, Alhaji Abdullahi Abbas, said the suspension of Ganduje was null and void as it did not follow due process.
Abbas, who also addressed a press conference on Monday, said the SWC had adopted the decisions of the Local Government party leaders, which nullified the suspension, while also describing Ganduje ward leaders as engaging in anti-party activities sponsored by the ruling NNPP.
“We have evidence of meetings between the State Government officials and those who suspended the National Chairman,” Abbas said.
“And the State Working Committee has agreed to sanction them for six months. They will remain suspended until the expiration of the period,” Abbas said.
Also speaking at the press conference, the Ganduje Ward Chairman, Ahmed Koko, debunked the suspension of Ganduje, insisting that the ward excos were sponsored by the present administration.
Koko exonerated himself and his executives from the suspension saga and also declared that they had identified the culprits and were going to take legal action against them for impersonation and defamation of character.
“The attention of the Ganduje Ward Executive Committee Members and that of Dawakin Tofa Local Government has been drawn to a purported suspension of the National Chairman of the Party, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, by unfortunately, non-APC members in the Ward.
“Those who addressed the press conference were sponsored by the NNPP state government, and from the record of the party at the Ward, Local Government and State, are not card-carrying members of the APC.
“The purported suspension was null and void and would have no any effect on the national chairman,” Koko said.