A Kano State High Court has rejected an attempt by former Governor Abdullahi Ganduje to stop his trial over bribery and misappropriation charges.
Ganduje, who is now the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), had asked the court to throw out the case, arguing that it lacked the power to hear it. But on Tuesday, Justice Amina Adamu-Aliyu dismissed the application, saying it had no merit.
“The objections raised by the defendants are incompetent and lack merit,” the judge ruled.
The Kano State Government had filed 11 charges against Ganduje, his wife Hafsat, son Umar, and five others. The charges accuse them of collecting bribes worth $413,000 and misusing N1.38 billion in public funds.
Other defendants in the case include Abubakar Bawuro, Umar Abdullahi Umar, Jibrilla Muhammad, Lamash Properties Limited, Safari Textiles Limited, and Lasage General Enterprises Limited.
Ganduje and his family, represented by their lawyer, Mrs. Lydia Oyewo, filed a motion in November 2024 to challenge the case and stop the trial.
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In response, the state’s lawyer, Adeola Adedipe (SAN), argued that the court had the right to hear the case and asked that the objections be dismissed.
Several other defense lawyers also filed similar motions to stop the trial, but the judge rejected them all.
Justice Adamu-Aliyu ordered that Lamash Properties Limited, the sixth defendant, be officially summoned and adjourned the case to July 30 and 31, 2025, for hearing.
With the judge’s decision, the high-profile case will now go to full trial.