Rita Odafe
The Kano State Court has set April 15, 2025, for a hearing regarding preliminary objections in the case of bribery and misappropriation against Abdullahi Ganduje, the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), his spouse Hafsat Umar, and six other individuals.
They face an eight-count charge filed by the Kano State Government, alleging serious offenses including bribery and the misuse of public funds totaling billions of naira.
Other accused parties include Abubakar Bawuro, Umar Abdullahi Umar, Jibrilla Muhammad, as well as various companies: Lamash Properties Limited, Safari Textiles Limited, and Lasage General Enterprises Limited.
During a court session on Thursday, prosecution attorney Adeola Adedipe, SAN, expressed the prosecution’s readiness to advance the case.
“My Lord, we have submitted a notice motion dated February 2, which was served on February 5, requesting more time to finalize our preliminary objection,” stated Adedipe.
It was noted that the lawyer for Ganduje, his wife, and Umar, Mrs. Lydia Oluwakemi-Oyewo, announced their preparedness to present a defense.
Nonetheless, some defense attorneys requested additional time to finalize their submissions. Adekunle Taiye-Falola, representing the 3rd and 7th defendants, remarked, “My Lord, we submitted our application for an extension on December 12, 2024, to respond to our further affidavit on legal points. We require time to put our processes in order.”
Sunusi Musa, SAN, the counsel for the 5th defendant, also moved for an extension based on a motion submitted on January 7, 2025.
“Our application is supported by a detailed affidavit and a written statement. We request the court to approve our motion,” Musa urged.
Abubakar Ahmed, who represents the 6th defendant, confirmed that he was prepared to proceed, noting that his preliminary objection was lodged on September 9.
However, Ibrahim Aliyu-Nasarawa, representing the 8th defendant, sought additional time, explaining, “My Lord, I am not ready to present my application and will file a response on legal points.”
In her ruling, Justice Amina Adamu-Aliyu approved all requests for extension of time and postponed the proceedings.
“The matter is postponed to April 15, 2025, for the hearing of all pending preliminary objections,” Justice Adamu-Aliyu declared.
