Court dismisses Ganduje’s bid to halt bribery, misappropriation trial

A High Court sitting in Kano on Tuesday dismissed an application filed by former Kano State Governor and current National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje, challenging the court’s jurisdiction to hear a high-profile bribery and corruption case filed against him and several others.

The case, instituted by the Kano State Government, involves 11 counts of alleged bribery and misappropriation of public funds amounting to $413,000 and ₦1.38 billion. The charges name not only Ganduje but also his wife, Hafsat, his son, Umar, and five others, including business entities linked to the alleged offences.

Justice Amina Adamu-Aliyu, presiding over the matter, ruled that the objections raised by the defendants were “incompetent and lacking in merit.” She maintained that the charges filed on May 13, 2024, were legally sound and ordered that the trial proceed as scheduled.

“This court has jurisdiction to entertain this matter. The preliminary objections fail in substance and are hereby dismissed,” Justice Adamu-Aliyu declared. She subsequently issued a court summons to the sixth defendant, Lamash Properties Limited, and adjourned the case to July 30 and 31, 2025, for hearing.

Ganduje and his family had mounted a legal challenge through their counsel, Lydia Oyewo, seeking to quash the charges on jurisdictional grounds. Their objection, dated November 18, 2024, argued that the court lacked the authority to adjudicate on the matter.

The state’s legal team, led by Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Adeola Adedipe, opposed the motion and urged the court to dismiss it outright, arguing that the charges were competently filed and grounded in law.

Other defence counsels, including SANs and senior legal practitioners representing various defendants, ranging from individuals to corporate entities, filed separate motions supporting the application to strike out the case. However, all were unanimously dismissed by the court.

Outside the courtroom, the ruling marks a significant legal setback for Ganduje, whose political profile remains high both in Kano State and nationally. The allegations against him first gained public attention in 2018, when a video surfaced showing the former governor purportedly receiving bundles of cash in what was alleged to be a bribe, claims he has repeatedly denied.

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