Kano State High Court has scheduled February 13, 2025, for the hearing of preliminary objections in the ongoing trial of Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje, the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), and seven others over allegations of bribery and misappropriation.
Dr. Ganduje, alongside his wife, Hafsat Umar, and other defendants, including Abubakar Bawuro, Umar Abdullahi, Jibrilla Muhammad, Lamash Properties Limited, Safari Textiles Limited, and Lasage General Enterprises Limited, is facing an eight-count charge brought by the Kano State government. The charges center on allegations of bribery, misappropriation, and the diversion of public funds totaling billions of naira.
During Wednesday’s hearing, the defense counsel, M.N. Duru (SAN), representing Ganduje, his wife, and Umar, requested the withdrawal of an application for facilities and witness statements dated October 21. He urged the court to strike out the application, indicating plans to file a new motion dated November 18, which had not yet been moved.
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Duru further stated that a counter affidavit and a “better and further affidavit” dated October 18 had been filed, emphasizing the need for additional corrections to proceed effectively.
On the other hand, Adeola Adedipe (SAN), counsel to the applicant, argued against dismissing Ganduje’s application for withdrawal. Instead, he requested that the court treat the matter as withdrawn and not struck out. He also confirmed serving the first, second, and fourth defendants with a new application on December 10.
Counsel representing other defendants presented updates on their filings, ranging from preliminary objections to motions for adjournments to amend processes. Notably, Counsel for the sixth respondent, Abubakar Ahmed, submitted a nine-paragraph affidavit in support of his preliminary objection dated September 9
