The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Abdullahi Ganduje, has faced suspension from the party following allegations of corruption leveled against him by the state government.
Ganduje’s suspension came from members of his ward, the Ganduje Ward in the Dawakin Tofa Local Government Area of Kano State, on Monday.
This decision was made in light of the impending legal proceedings against Ganduje. The Kano High Court had set a date of April 17, 2024, for his arraignment on charges related to bribery, diversion, and misappropriation of funds, including the alleged acceptance of $413,000 and N1.38 billion in bribes.
Confirming the development, the Kano State Attorney General and Commissioner of Justice, Haruna Dederi, stated that Ganduje, along with his wife and six others, would be arraigned.
According to the writ of summons, the accused individuals include Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, Hafsat Umar, Abubakar Bawuro, Umar Abdullahi Umar, Jibrilla Muhammad, Lamash Properties Ltd, Safari Textiles Ltd, and Lesage General Enterprises.
The Kano State Government, the plaintiff in the criminal suit, expressed readiness to present 15 witnesses before Justice Usman Na’aba of State High Court number four.
Haruna Dederi emphasized the importance of accountability in governance, stating, “What he (Ganduje) doesn’t understand is that you cannot run away from the evil day, it will definitely come to you, and this will even serve as a deterrence to all of us that are also in government now.”
Addressing jurisdictional concerns, Dederi clarified, “He was saying that we can’t prosecute him, forgetting that the offence also falls under the category of the state offences. It’s not totally a federal affair and we have even appealed to Justice Liman ruling on that.”