Nigeria Courts to Rule on New State Executives

The Nigerian High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) will today rule on the legality of recent party inaugurations for the All Progressives Congress’ (APC) state leadership.

The APC—as the political party of Nigeria’s president Muhammadu Buhari—faces internal conflict as party factions have contested national leadership after the inauguration of state chairmen outside their camps. Although the APC set up a national reconciliation committee to address disputes, there has been little to no settlement among APC factions in their respective states. Instead, several states have brought cases to court to challenge the legality of the inaugurations.

Precedence indicates that the courts will likely find in favor of APC national leadership, as the FCT High Court has recently ruled against faction appeals to state nominations. Hence, expect the inaugurated APC state executives to stay in power.

If the APC cannot resolve internal conflict, members warn that a total party collapse is imminent. This would significantly disrupt the Nigerian political system, as the APC is one of the two major parties in contest for government elections, which would likely mean political domination for the party’s rival, the People’s Democratic Party, whose conservative-leaning ideology contrasts significantly with the APC’s liberal agenda.

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