A Kaduna State High Court on Wednesday fixed September 24, 2026 for ruling on an application filed by the state’s former governor, Nasir El-Rufai, seeking the recusal of the trial judge from his ongoing trial.

Justice Darious Khobo fixed the date after hearing arguments from counsel to the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and the defence on the application.

Addressing journalists after the proceedings, counsel to the ICPC, Ayodeji Adedipe, said the application for the judge’s recusal was the central issue before the court.

“A lot was discussed in court today. The key issue before the court was the defendant’s application seeking the recusal of the trial judge,” he said.

Adedipe explained that the defence had filed four separate applications asking the judge to disqualify himself from the case, but withdrew three of them before proceeding with the fourth.

“We vehemently opposed that application because, in our view, the defendant failed to establish any serious grounds that would warrant the judge to recuse himself from the case,” he said.

The senior lawyer maintained that the application was “an afterthought, saying their prayer before the court was straightforward: that the Honourable Judge should dismiss the application for recusal and fix a date for trial so that the substantive case can proceed.

On his part, counsel to El-Rufai, Paul Erokoro, SAN, said the application was necessitated by comments made by the trial judge while ruling on his client’s bail application in June 2026.

“At the Court of Appeal, he (El’rufai) is only asking the court to grant him bail. In this court, however, he is asking that the trial judge, having already referred to him as a criminal, should not be allowed to try his case because there is a likelihood of bias against him,” Erokoro said. (Daily Trust)