Court Upholds Removal of Pro-GMO AFAN President After 6-Year Unlawful Tenure

The Court of Appeal in Abuja has upheld the removal of Kabir Ibrahim as President of the All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), declaring his extended stay in office unlawful after he exceeded the constitutionally allowed term by six years.

The ruling, delivered on July 17, 2025, upheld a March 2022 verdict by the Federal High Court, dismissing Ibrahim’s appeal. The court awarded N200,000 in costs against him in favour of Farouk Rabi’u Mudi, who the courts recognise as the legitimate AFAN President.

Speaking to Premium Times, Taiwo Kupolati, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) and counsel for AFAN’s registered trustees, described the appellate decision as a major win for the rule of law and the core principles upon which AFAN was founded.

Kupolati called the ruling “solid,” stressing that Ibrahim’s tenure, which began in 2014, legally ended in 2019, following a single five-year term as stipulated by AFAN’s constitution.

The leadership crisis within AFAN began in 2020 when Ibrahim contested Mudi’s emergence as president. The dispute led to two separate suits at the Federal High Court: in suit FHC/ABJ/CS/322/2020, Mudi, represented by AFAN’s legal counsel Modibbo Bakari, challenged Ibrahim’s continued occupation of the presidency. In suit FHC/ABJ/CS/329/2020, Ibrahim, in turn, challenged Mudi’s legitimacy.

The High Court ruled in Mudi’s favour, barring Ibrahim from presenting himself as president, a decision that the Court of Appeal has now affirmed.

Despite the legal setbacks, Ibrahim, an outspoken supporter of genetically modified (GM) TELA Maize, has pledged to take the matter to the Supreme Court in a continued attempt to legitimise his extended tenure.

Meanwhile, Ibrahim continues to serve as President of the Nigeria Agribusiness Group (NABG), where he actively promotes the use of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in agriculture.

His role at NABG has also raised concerns, given his links to the Gates Foundation and the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), a Nairobi-based nonprofit backed by the Gates and Rockefeller foundations.

Ibrahim’s overlapping leadership positions and affiliations represent a conflict of interest, particularly as he persists in contesting the Court of Appeal’s ruling that removed him from the helm of AFAN.

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