The court rejected Ganduje’s offer to stop the bribery, the Court of Misuse

The High Court sitting in Kano on Tuesday rejected the application submitted by the former Governor of the State Kano and the National Chairperson of the All Progressives Congress (APC) at this time, Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje, challenged the court jurisdiction to listen to the bribery and corruption cases submitted against him and several others.

This case, which was institutionalized by the Kano state government, involved 11 allegations of alleged bribery and abuse of public funds of $ 413,000 and ₦ 1.38 billion. The name of the accusation is not only Ganduje but also his wife, Hafsat, his son, Umar, and five others, including business entities related to alleged violations.

Judge Amina Adamu-Aliyu, who led this problem, decided that the objections raised by the defendants were “incompetent and inappropriate.” He stated that the accusations submitted on May 13, 2024, legally healthy and ordered that the trial be continued on schedule.

“This court has a jurisdiction to entertain this problem. The initial objection failed in the substance and hereby was dismissed,” the judge said. He then issued a court call to the sixth defendant, Lamash Properties Limited, and postponed the case until 30 and 31 July 2025, for trial.

Ganduje and his family have carried out legal challenges through their legal counsel, Lydia Oyewo, trying to eliminate accusations on the basis of jurisdiction. Their objection, dated November 18, 2024, argued that the court did not have the authority to prosecute the problem.

The State Legal Team, led by Nigerian senior advocate (SAN), Adeola Adedipe, opposed the motion and urged the court to fire him directly, on the grounds that the accusation was competent and based on the law.

Other defense advice, including San and senior legal practitioners representing various defendants, ranging from individuals to company entities, submitted separate motions that support applications to issue this case. However, all unanimously fired by the court.

Outside the courtroom, the decision marked a significant legal setback for Ganduje, whose political profile remained high in both canoe and national states. The accusation against him first received public attention in 2018, when a video appeared showing the former governor said to have received a cash bundle in what was suspected as a bribe, claiming that he had repeatedly denied.

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