The Court of Appeal in Abuja has affirmed the removal of Kabir Ibrahim as the President of the All Farmers’ Association of Nigeria (AFAN), bringing an end to a prolonged leadership tussle within the association.

Delivering the lead judgment on Thursday, Justice Mohammed Danjuma, alongside a three-member panel, upheld the March 24, 2022 decision of the Federal High Court which declared that Ibrahim’s tenure expired in June 2019 and recognised Farouk Mudi as the legitimate president. The appellate court also imposed a cost of ₦200,000 against Ibrahim.

Justice Danjuma held that the appeal filed by Ibrahim, marked CA/ABJ/CV/554/2022, lacked merit and was therefore dismissed. “The judgment of the lower court is affirmed and a cost of ₦200,000 is hereby awarded against the appellant and in favour of the respondents,” the court ruled.

Other members of the panel Justice Ali Gumel and Justice Anthony Ogakwu concurred with the decision.

The legal dispute began after Ibrahim challenged the legitimacy of Mudi’s leadership, which was established through an election conducted by AFAN’s General Assembly in Kano on April 10, 2021. The High Court, presided over by retired Justice Taiwo Taiwo, had ruled that Ibrahim’s five-year term, which began on June 14, 2014, officially ended in 2019, as stipulated by the AFAN Constitution, and that he could no longer lay claim to the office.

The court also ordered Ibrahim to hand over all association assets and property in his possession to Mudi and barred him and members of his dissolved executive council from parading themselves as officials of AFAN.

In another suit filed by Mudi against Ibrahim and his executive, the High Court further ruled that AFAN’s constitution did not provide for tenure extension and that any claim by Ibrahim beyond the stipulated term was invalid. The court granted all reliefs sought by Mudi, including a perpetual injunction restraining Ibrahim from functioning in any leadership capacity within the association.

With this ruling, Farouk Mudi retains his position as the lawful President of AFAN, putting to rest the internal crisis that had plagued the farmers’ association for years.