₦579.6M Fraud Case: El-Rufai Asks CJN To Reassign Justice Aikawa

Former Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, has formally petitioned the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, seeking the immediate reassignment of Justice R.M. Aikawa of the Federal High Court, Kaduna, from presiding over his ongoing criminal trial.

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In a petition dated April 9, 2026, El-Rufai urged the CJN to transfer the case to another judge within the Kaduna division or take other administrative steps to safeguard the integrity of the proceedings and maintain public confidence in the judiciary.

He described Justice Aikawa’s continued handling of the case as “untenable in law, prudence, common sense and judicial ethics,” citing alleged bias, pending disciplinary complaints against the judge, and the judge’s refusal to recuse himself.

Naija News reports that Justice Aikawa is currently presiding over a 10-count charge filed by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) against El-Rufai and his co-defendant.

The charges relate to alleged abuse of office, money laundering, and fraud involving ₦579.6 million and $1.1 million.

A bail hearing in the matter has been scheduled for April 14.

El-Rufai’s latest petition, which follows an earlier submission filed in February 2025, outlines several grounds for seeking the judge’s removal from the case.

Among these are multiple unresolved complaints alleging bias, which are currently pending before the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court and the National Judicial Council (NJC).

He further argued that the current criminal charge and previous proceedings involve the same litigant, the same judicial division, and overlapping factual and political contexts, creating what he described as an “objective appearance of bias.”

“Even if actual bias is denied, the appearance of bias is unavoidable, which the law treats as equally fatal,” the petition stated.

“Allowing Justice Aikawa to continue with this criminal trial risks undermining public confidence in the judiciary, compromises the integrity of the proceedings, and exposes the entire process to almost certain appellate reversal.”

El-Rufai maintained that Justice Aikawa should have declined the case at the outset or referred it to the Chief Judge for reassignment to another judge within the Kaduna division or elsewhere in the Federal High Court.

He argued that the judge’s failure to take either step necessitated fresh intervention by the CJN.

In the petition, El-Rufai specifically requested that the CJN direct the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court to immediately reassign the case to another judge within or outside the Kaduna division. He also asked that the details of Justice Aikawa’s conduct be forwarded to the Preliminary Assessment Committee of the NJC for review, and that any additional administrative measures required to protect the integrity of the proceedings and public confidence in the judiciary be implemented.