A Kano State High Court has rejected a motion by former Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje seeking to stop his ongoing trial over alleged multi-billion naira corruption.
Justice Amina Adamu-Aliyu dismissed the preliminary objections filed by Ganduje’s legal team, declaring them “incompetent.” She affirmed that the charges brought by the Kano State Government fall within the court’s jurisdiction and ordered the case to proceed to full trial.
Ganduje, now the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), is standing trial alongside his wife, Prof. Hafsat Umar, and six others. They face an 11-count charge that includes allegations of bribery, criminal conspiracy, and the diversion of public funds.
Other defendants in the case include Abubakar Bawuro, Umar Abdullahi Umar, Jibrilla Muhammad, Lamash Properties Ltd, Safari Textiles Ltd, and Lasage General Enterprises Ltd.
The judge also ruled that the trial will continue in the absence of Ganduje and the other accused individuals, and issued a summons for Lamash Properties Ltd.
Earlier, counsel for Hafsat Ganduje and Umar, Mrs. Lydia Oluwakemi Oyewo, had filed a motion challenging the court’s jurisdiction, joined by similar objections from lawyers representing the other defendants. However, prosecution counsel Adeola Adedipe, SAN, argued the objections had no merit and urged the court to proceed.
The trial has been adjourned to July 30 and 31, 2025.
