A Kano high court has scheduled February 13, 2025, for the hearing of preliminary objections in the bribery trial of Abdullahi Ganduje, the national chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The case, filed in April by the Kano government, includes eight counts of bribery, misappropriation, and public fund diversion against Ganduje, his wife, son, and several other defendants.
At the hearing, Ganduje’s lawyer, M.N. Duru, requested the court to strike out an earlier application and replace it with a new motion, while the Kano government’s counsel, Adeola Adedipe, filed counter-affidavits and objected to the application’s withdrawal.
Other defendants’ lawyers also sought adjournments or made corrections to their filings.
Judge Amina Adamu-Aliyu adjourned the case until February 13 for the hearing of all preliminary objections.
“My lord, we urge the court to strike out this application. We intend to proceed with a new application dated November 18 instead,” Duru said.
“This motion, having not been moved, cannot be dismissed. We agree that it is not ripe for hearing, and we are requesting another date to make some corrections to the affidavit’s date.”
Responding, Adeola Adedipe, the counsel to the Kano government, said the first, second, and fourth defendants served them with a new application on December 10, which is not yet ripe for hearing.
Adedipe requested the court not to strike out Ganduje’s application for withdrawal but to dismiss it.
“We have filed our counter-affidavit dated November 15, 2024,” he said.
“We also filed two additional counter-affidavits and responses dated October 18 and October 21.”
Duru, who is the counsel to the third and seventh defendants, said he had filed a better affidavit and a motion on notice on October 18.
Sunusi Musa, counsel to the fifth defendant, sought an adjournment to enable him to make some corrections in the processes.
Abubakar Ahmed, counsel to the sixth defendant, told the court that he had filed a notice of preliminary objection dated September 9 and supported by a nine-paragraph affidavit.
