The Kano State High Court has adjourned the hearing of preliminary objections in the bribery and misappropriation case involving the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Abdullahi Ganduje, his wife Hafsat Umar, and six others, to April 15, 2025.
The Kano State Government has filed an eight-count charge against the defendants, accusing them of bribery, misappropriation, and the diversion of public funds totaling billions of naira. Alongside Ganduje and his wife, the other accused include Abubakar Bawuro, Umar Abdullahi Umar, Jibrilla Muhammad, Lamash Properties Limited, Safari Textiles Limited, and Lasage General Enterprises Limited.
During Thursday’s court proceedings, prosecution counsel, Adeola Adedipe, SAN, informed the court that the prosecution was prepared to proceed with the case. He stated, “My Lord, we have filed a motion on notice, dated February 2 and served on February 5, seeking an extension of time to regularize our preliminary objection.”
Defense counsels for Ganduje, his wife, and Umar, led by Lydia Oluwakemi-Oyewo, also expressed readiness to move forward with their defense. However, some defense teams requested additional time to finalize their legal processes.
Counsel for the 3rd and 7th defendants, Adekunle Taiye-Falola, explained, “My Lord, we filed our application for an extension of time, dated December 12, 2024, to reply to our further and better affidavit on points of law. We need to regularize our processes.”
Similarly, Sunusi Musa, SAN, representing the 5th defendant, filed a motion for an extension of time, dated January 7, 2025, while counsel for the 6th defendant, Abubakar Ahmed, indicated readiness, having already filed a preliminary objection dated September 9. Counsel for the 8th defendant, Ibrahim Aliyu-Nasarawa, also sought more time.
After considering the submissions, the presiding judge, Justice Amina Adamu-Aliyu, granted all the applications for an extension of time and adjourned the matter until April 15, 2025.
The high-profile case, which has captured widespread public attention, is set to continue with the hearing of preliminary objections before moving on to the substantive trial.
