Ganduje
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The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, has lost his bid to stop his trial on an 11-count corruption charge brought against him and seven others.
The Kano State High Court, presided over by Justice Amina Adamu Aliyu, on Tuesday dismissed a motion contesting the court’s jurisdiction to hear the case and ruled that the preliminary objections raised by Ganduje and his co-accused were “incompetent” and lacked merit.
She affirmed the court’s jurisdiction to hear the charges, which include allegations of bribery, conspiracy, misappropriation, and diversion of public funds, amounting to billions of naira.
“The charges before this court are competent. The power to investigate criminal matters does not reside solely with the police. The Kano State Public Complaints and Anti-Corruption Commission is equally empowered under the law,” Justice Aliyu stated.
The judge emphasised that the trial would proceed even in the absence of Ganduje and the six other defendants.
Justice Aliyu affirmed that the power to investigate does not only lie with the police, noting that the Kano State Public Complaints and Anti-Corruption Commission is also empowered to investigate criminal issues.
“The case should proceed to trial even in the absence of Ganduje and six others,” the judge ruled.
Other defendants in the case are Ganduje’s wife, Prof. Hafsat Umar, and other individuals and companies: Abubakar Bawuro, Umar Abdullahi Umar, Jibrilla Muhammad, Safari Textiles Limited, Lasage General Enterprises Limited, and Lamash Properties Limited.
Adeola Adedipe, SAN, counsel for the state, in response to the preliminary objections, had described the applications of the defendants as “deliberate attempts to frustrate the trial” and urged the court to dismiss them.
“We submitted that the objections lack legal foundation and urged the court to allow justice to take its full course,” Adedipe said.
However, Lydia Oluwakemi Oyewo, the leader of Ganduje’s legal team, had filed a preliminary objection dated November 18, 2024, seeking to quash the charges and halt the trial because the court lacked jurisdiction.
Similarly, counsels for the third, fifth, sixth, and eighth defendants, Chief M. N. Duru, SAN, Mr. Muhammad Shehu, Mr. Abubakar Ahmad, and Mr. Faruk Asekome, respectively, also filed preliminary objections between September and October 2024, challenging the legitimacy of the charges and the competence of the court.
Nevertheless, the judge insisted that the applications lacked merit and that the case must proceed in line with due process, adding that the charges filed on May 13, 2024, against the defendants are competent to be tried.
The case was adjourned to July 30 and 31 for hearing.
