Ganduje, Wife’s Fraud Trial Suffers Another Setback

The ongoing corruption trial involving former National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and ex-Governor of Kano State, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, his wife Dr. Hafsat Umar Ganduje, and six others, has been stalled once again at the Kano State High Court.

The case, filed by the Kano State Public Complaints and Anti-Corruption Commission, accuses Ganduje and the co-defendants of bribery, conspiracy, misappropriation, and diversion of public funds amounting to several billions of naira.

Other defendants include Abubakar Bawuro, Umar Abdullahi Umar, Jibrilla Muhammad, and three companies, Lamash Properties Limited, Safari Textiles Limited, and Lasage General Enterprises Limited.

The matter, which was slated for the prosecution to open its case and present witnesses on Monday, could not proceed after the defendants informed the court that they were not ready for trial.

Prosecution counsel, Adeola Adedipe (SAN), told Justice Amina Adamu Aliyu that the state was prepared to begin, noting that its witnesses were already in court. However, defence counsel Lydia Oluwakemi-Oyewo, representing Ganduje, his wife, and son, said she was not ready to proceed, citing improper service of the hearing notice.

Oyewo also filed a motion seeking to stay proceedings, arguing that the matter was already pending before the Court of Appeal.

Similarly, counsel to other defendants, Chief M. N. Duru (SAN), Sunusi Musa (SAN), Abubakar Ahmad, and Abdulrazaq A. Ahmed, raised similar objections and motions, including applications for a stay of proceedings and preliminary objections.

They argued that the case was only for mention since the previous hearing date had been rescheduled.

Adedipe, however, urged the court to dismiss the defence applications, accusing the defendants of deliberately attempting to delay the trial. He also requested the court to allow both the preliminary objections and the substantive matter to be heard simultaneously, with rulings delivered afterward.

Justice Aliyu rejected the request, ruling that all preliminary objections must be determined before hearing the main case. She also declined to grant a stay of proceedings, noting that there was no valid ground for such an order.

The judge subsequently adjourned the case to November 26, 2025, for the hearing of all pending applications.

The high-profile case, which has attracted public attention, has faced multiple adjournments since it began, with critics accusing the defence of using legal technicalities to stall proceedings.