Drama In Court! Ganduje, Wife’s Corruption Trial Stalled Again Over Legal Lapses

Former Kano State Governor, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, his wife Hafsat, and six others failed to file their pending applications on Monday, causing a delay in the continuation of their ongoing trial before the Kano State High Court.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

The Kano State Government had earlier filed an 11-count charge against Ganduje and his co-defendants, accusing them of bribery, conspiracy, misappropriation, and diversion of public funds running into billions of naira.

Others charged alongside the former governor include Abubakar Bawuro, Umar Abdullahi Umar, Jibrilla Muhammad, Lamash Properties Limited, Safari Textiles Limited, and Lasage General Enterprises Limited.

At Monday’s hearing, prosecution counsel, Adeola Adedipe (SAN), informed the court that the prosecution was ready to open its case, with witnesses already present in court. He urged the court to dismiss the defence’s applications and allow the trial to proceed.

However, defence counsel, Lydia Oluwakemi-Oyewo, representing Ganduje, his wife, and son, told the court that they were not prepared to continue, explaining that their further and better affidavit filed on July 17, 2025, had not been properly served on all parties. She, therefore, sought an adjournment.

Similarly, M.N. Duru (SAN), counsel to the 3rd and 7th defendants, requested a new date, citing a motion and further affidavit dated May 21, 2025. Counsel to the 5th defendant, Sunusi Musa (SAN), informed the court that an application for a stay of proceedings had been filed at the Court of Appeal, while Abubakar Ahmad, representing the 6th defendant, noted that they had submitted a notice of preliminary objection.

Abdulrazaq A. Ahmed, representing the 8th defendant, added that they assumed the day’s proceedings were for mention only, following the earlier adjournment.

In her ruling, Justice Amina Adamu-Aliyu ordered all parties to file and properly serve their pending motions before the next sitting. The case was adjourned to November 26, 2025, for the hearing of all pending applications.