A Kano State High Court has scheduled 20 November for the hearing of all pending applications in the ongoing case of alleged bribery and misappropriation of public funds against the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr Abdullahi Ganduje, and seven others.
Ganduje, along with his wife Hafsat Umar, Abubakar Bawuro, Umar Abdullahi Umar, Jibrilla Muhammad, and three corporate entities—Lamash Properties Limited, Safari Textiles Limited, and Lasage General Enterprises Limited—are facing an eight-count charge filed by the state government.
The charges involve alleged bribery, misappropriation, and the diversion of public funds totalling billions of naira.
During Wednesday’s proceedings, the court was set to hear a preliminary objection from the sixth defendant.
Counsel for the plaintiff, Mr Adeola Adedipe, SAN, informed the court of their readiness to proceed, noting that a witness had travelled from Lagos for the hearing.
However, counsel for the first, second, and fourth defendants, Mr Offiong Offiong, SAN, stated that they had not been served with the necessary documents, including the plaintiff’s counter affidavit and the preliminary objection.
He requested an adjournment to allow time to review the filings.
Similarly, counsel for the third and seventh defendants, Mr Taye Falola, noted that they had also not been served with the documents and confirmed the filing of a preliminary objection on 10 October, requesting a new hearing date.
The sixth defendant’s counsel, Mr Nureini Jimoh, SAN, expressed readiness to proceed with their application, while the fifth and eighth defendants’ lawyers, Mr Abdul Adamu, SAN, and Mr Faruk Asekome, echoed similar concerns about not receiving the plaintiff’s filings.
Justice Amina Adamu Aliyu stressed the importance of proper service of documents and overruled the plaintiff’s request to proceed immediately.
The judge subsequently adjourned the case to 20 November for the hearing of all pending applications.
The case is drawing considerable attention due to the high-profile nature of the defendants, particularly Ganduje, who is the APC’s National Chairman.
