A Federal High Court has dismissed a case brought by former state chairman of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, in Sokoto State, Umar Faruk and other party members.
Justice Ahmad Gama delivered the ruling on Friday, finding no sufficient basis to grant the claimants the orders they requested.
Faruk and the other plaintiffs had filed the case in July, asking the court to reinstate him as the party’s substantive state chairman. They alleged that new entrants had taken over the party’s structure.
The court rejected all four reliefs sought by the plaintiffs, citing a lack of merit and evidence to support their claims.
In his ruling, Justice Gama said the court could not intervene in the internal affairs of a political party.
He also noted that the plaintiffs had not exhausted the ADC’s internal procedures for resolving disputes before bringing the matter before the court.
The judge further held that the claimants failed to demonstrate that their fundamental human rights had been breached.
Reacting to the decision, counsel to the respondents, Suleiman Usman, SAN, praised the court’s handling of the case, describing the judgment as sound.
Usman said the ruling reinforced the need for parties in litigation to provide credible evidence in support of their claims.
“A litigant cannot win a case without proving it with substantial evidence,” he said.
He added that the decision would support democratic institutions and the application of the rule of law in Nigeria.
“The judgment has deepened our democratic system and constitutional jurisprudence in the country,” he said.
The case followed disagreements over who should control the ADC’s Sokoto chapter, with Faruk and the other claimants turning to the court to challenge the party’s leadership arrangement.
Court dismisses suit seeking Faruk’s reinstatement as Sokoto ADC chairman