The Court of Appeal in Abuja on Thursday upheld the removal of Kabir Ibrahim as president of the All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), dismissing his appeal against the decision.
A three-member panel led by Justice Mohammed Danjuma delivered the unanimous judgment, affirming the March 24, 2022 ruling of the Federal High Court which declared Farouk Mudi the validly elected president of AFAN. The court also awarded a cost of N200,000 against Ibrahim in favour of Mudi.
“This appeal is devoid of merit and is hereby dismissed. The judgment of the lower court delivered on 24 March 2022 is affirmed, and a cost of N200,000 is awarded against the appellant and in favour of the respondents,” Justice Danjuma ruled. Judges Ali Gumel and Anthony Ogakwu concurred.
Ibrahim’s appeal challenged the decision of retired Federal High Court judge Taiwo Taiwo, who ruled that Ibrahim’s tenure expired on June 14, 2019, and barred him from parading himself as AFAN president. The judge further ordered Ibrahim to hand over AFAN’s assets in his possession.
The case stemmed from the leadership crisis that saw both Ibrahim and Mudi file suits in 2020. Ibrahim challenged Mudi’s emergence following the April 10, 2021 AFAN General Assembly election held in Kano, which produced Mudi as president alongside the association’s National Working Committee (NWC) and National Executive Council (NEC).
In contrast, Mudi’s suit sought judicial recognition that Ibrahim’s tenure had ended, citing AFAN’s constitution which limits executives to a single five-year term. Judge Taiwo agreed, ruling that Ibrahim, inaugurated on June 14, 2014, should have vacated office by June 14, 2019.
“There is no provision for tenure elongation in the AFAN constitution,” the judge observed.
The court also struck out the name of the Inspector-General of Police from the suit, stating there was no cause of action against him.
AFAN, established in 1995, serves as a national umbrella body uniting commodity-based farmers’ associations across Nigeria, including those in poultry, oil palm, maize, cassava, snail farming, and more.
