A Federal High Court has dismissed a suit by Umar Faruk and other members of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) seeking his reinstatement as the party’s substantive chairman in Sokoto State.
Justice Ahmad Gama delivered the ruling on Friday, rejecting all four reliefs sought by the plaintiffs on the grounds that their claims lacked merit and sufficient supporting evidence.
Faruk and the other claimants filed the suit in July, alleging that new entrants had taken control of the party’s structure in the state. They asked the court to restore Faruk to the chairmanship.
In dismissing the case, Gama held that the court could not intervene in the internal affairs of a political party. He also found that the plaintiffs had not exhausted the ADC’s internal dispute-resolution procedures before approaching the court.
The judge further ruled that the claimants had failed to establish that their fundamental human rights had been violated.
Counsel to the respondents, Suleiman Usman, SAN, welcomed the judgment, saying it underscored the importance of providing credible evidence in litigation.
“A litigant cannot win a case without proving it with substantial evidence,” Usman said.
He described the decision as a contribution to Nigeria’s democratic system and constitutional jurisprudence.
The suit arose from a dispute over the leadership of the ADC’s Sokoto chapter.
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