By Ayo Kehinde
On Tuesday, a Kano State High Court dismissed an application filed by the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr Abdullahi Ganduje, challenging the court’s jurisdiction to hear the case of alleged bribery and misappropriation brought against him by the state government.
Ganduje, a former Kano governor, is facing an 11-count charge bordering on bribery, conspiracy, misappropriation and diversion of public funds amounting to billions of naira alongside his wife, Hafsat Umar, and six others.
The suit, filed by Kano Public Complaints and Anti-Corruption Commission, has Abubakar Bawuro, Umar Abdullahi Umar, Jibrilla Muhammad, Lamash Properties Limited, Safari Textiles Limited, and Lasage General Enterprises Limited as co-defendants.
Ruling on Tuesday on a motion of preliminary objection filed by the ex-governor and the seven co-defendants challenging the jurisdiction of the court to hear the matter, Justice Amina Adamu-Aliyu dismissed the application for lack of merit.
Citing relevant provisions on point of law, Justice Aliyu, who described the application as “incompetent”, held that the charges filed by the prosecution on May 13, 2024, were valid and within the court’s jurisdiction.
The court held that the powers to investigate criminal matters do not rest solely with the police, asserting that the anti-corruption agency was empowered to conduct investigations into criminal issues.
Consequently, the court ruled that the case should proceed to trial in the absence of Ganduje and six others standing trial. It also issued a summons to the sixth defendant, Lamash Properties Limited.
Meanwhile, Justice Adamu-Aliyu has adjourned the matter until July 30 and 31, 2025, for hearing.
