Kano State High Court decided to postpone its ruling in a high-profile case

On Tuesday, the Kano State High Court decided to postpone its ruling in a high-profile case involving Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), along with seven other defendants, all facing an eight-count indictment related to bribery, misappropriation, and misallocation of public funds.

This case was brought forth by the Kano State Government, with Ganduje, his wife Hafsat Umar, and associates Abubakar Bawuro, Umar Abdullahi Umar, Jibrilla Muhammad, as well as the companies Lamash Properties Limited, Safari Textiles Limited, and Lasage General Enterprises Limited named as defendants. During the hearing, the legal representatives for all defendants presented various preliminary objections contesting the court's jurisdiction and requested additional time for their applications. Leading the defense for Ganduje, his wife, and Umar, Offiong Offiong (SAN) informed the court, "We submitted our preliminary objection on November 18, 2024, which includes a 28-paragraph affidavit and a written address. We also provided a reply on point of law dated April 4, 2025. We respectfully ask the court to approve our application." In contrast, the prosecution, represented by Adeola Adedipe, SAN, argued that the defense's applications were without merit. "The state's response to the preliminary objection is dated October 22, 2024, and it is supported by a seven-paragraph counter affidavit along with relevant documents," Adedipe stated. "We request that the court dismiss the applications in their entirety." With regards to the 3rd and 7th defendants, counsel Adekunle Taiye-Falola also submitted a preliminary objection dated October 18, 2024. "In reply to the complainant's counter affidavit, we provided a further and better affidavit dated December 12, 2024, along with a legal reply. We kindly urge the court to approve our application," he appealed.

Sunusi Musa, SAN, representing the 5th defendant, submitted his own objection supported by similar documents. "We seek not only the approval of our application but also significant costs against the complainant," Musa added. Counsel for the 6th defendant, Ashafa Yusuf, remarked, "Our notice of preliminary objection was dated September 9, 2024. We filed a further and better affidavit on February 17, 2025, along with a legal reply. We request the court to grant our reliefs."
Source @coretvnew
Edited by BBN