Court Dismisses APC’s Suit To Stop Kano LG Allocations

A Federal High Court sitting in Kano has dismissed a suit filed by the All Progressives Congress (APC) seeking to block statutory allocations to the 44 local government councils in Kano State.

LEADERSHIP reports the APC chairman in the state, Abdullahi Abba, had filed the suit in November 2024, asking for a declaration to invalidate the New Nigeria People’s Party-led (NNPP) executives on the grounds that the chairmen were not democratically constituted, in line with Section 7(1) of the 1999 Constitution.

The APC also sought an order to restrain the Federal Government, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), and the Accountant-General of the Federation from disbursing funds to the councils.

Listed as respondents in the suit include the Federal Accounts Allocation Committee (FAAC), Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC), Minister of Finance, Auditor-General, and Attorney-General of the Federation.

Delivering judgment on Monday, Justice Simon Amobeda dismissed the case, ruling that it was incompetent and could not be resurrected.

The court noted that although the applicants applied to withdraw the suit after an appellate court declared that only the Kano State High Court had jurisdiction, such withdrawal should have been formally filed within 14 days.

Respondents pushed for the case to be dismissed with costs.

Counsel to the Attorney-General of the Federation had requested N2.5 million, while Kano State’s counsel sought N2 billion.

For his part, counsel to KANSIEC also demanded N2 million cost, citing operational trauma, while the counsel for the 44 council chairmen demanded for N44 million in costs.

Justice Amobeda ruled that the case be dismissed indefinitely while rejecting the request for it to be struck out.