A high court in Kano has fixed February 13, 2025, for the hearing of preliminary objections in the suit against Abdullahi Ganduje, the national chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
In April, the Kano government filed an eight-count charge bordering on bribery, misappropriation, and diversion of public funds against Ganduje; Hafsat, his wife; Umar Abdullahi Umar, his son; and five others.
Other defendants in the case are Abubakar Bawuro, Jibrilla Muhammad, Lamash Properties Limited, Safari Textiles Limited, and Lasage General Enterprises Limited.
Channels Television reports that M.N. Duru, counsel to Ganduje, asked the court on Wednesday to strike out an earlier application seeking facilities and a witness statement dated October 21.
“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.
“We filed a written address dated September 9, a counter affidavit dated October 24, and a further and better affidavit dated November 15, 2024,” Ahmed said.
Faruk Asekome, counsel to the eighth defendant, said he had filed a preliminary objection dated November 10.
Amina Adamu-Aliyu, the trial judge, adjourned the matter until February 13, 2025, for the hearing of all preliminary objections.
