Nasir El-Rufai, the former governor of Kaduna State, has formally petitioned Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, to immediately remove Justice R.M. Aikawa of the Federal High Court, Kaduna, from overseeing his current criminal trial.
El-Rufai requested in a petition dated April 9, 2026, that the CJN move the case to a different judge in the Kaduna division or take other administrative measures to protect the fairness of the proceedings and preserve public trust in the legal system.
Citing suspected prejudice, ongoing disciplinary complaints against the judge, and the court’s reluctance to recuse himself, he called Justice Aikawa’s continued handling of the case “untenable in law, prudence, common sense, and judicial ethics.”
According to Naija News, El-Rufai and his co-defendant are facing a 10-count indictment brought by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offenses Commission (ICPC), which Justice Aikawa is currently sitting over.
The accusations concern suspected fraud totaling ₦579.6 million and $1.1 million, money laundering, and abuse of office.
On April 14, there will be a bail hearing in this case.
El-Rufai’s most recent petition, which comes after a previous one submitted in February 2025, lists a number of reasons why the judge should be removed from the case.
These include several unresolved accusations alleging prejudice that are presently pending before the National Judicial Council (NJC) and the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court.
He further contended that there is a “objective appearance of bias” because the current criminal accusation and earlier processes include the same litigant, the same court division, and overlapping factual and political situations.
The petition said, “Even if actual bias is denied, the appearance of bias is unavoidable, which the law treats as equally fatal.”
“Permitting Justice Aikawa to proceed with this criminal trial exposes the entire process to almost certain appellate reversal, jeopardizes the integrity of the proceedings, and undermines public confidence in the judiciary.”
According to El-Rufai, Justice Aikawa ought to have rejected the matter right away or sent it to the Chief Judge for transfer to a different judge in the Federal High Court’s Kaduna division.
He said that the CJN had to step in again because the judge had not taken either action.
El-Rufai explicitly asked in the petition that the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court be instructed by the CJN to promptly transfer the matter to a different judge, either inside or outside the Kaduna division. In addition, he requested that the NJC’s Preliminary Assessment Committee study the specifics of Justice Aikawa’s behavior and that any further administrative actions necessary to safeguard the proceedings’ integrity and the public’s trust in the judiciary be carried out.
