El-Rufai’s lawyer withdraws three applications in Kaduna corruption case

Former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai has withdrawn three applications filed in his ongoing corruption case after his new lawyer apologised to the Kaduna State High Court.

At Wednesday’s hearing before Justice Darius Khobo, El-Rufai’s lawyer, Paul Erokoro, SAN, asked the court for permission to withdraw the earlier applications and said he had filed a fresh one.

Erokoro, who recently took over the case, admitted that the previous applications were too confrontational.

He apologised to the court, saying the pending applications were “combative in nature.”

He added that he could not adopt some of the language used in the applications earlier filed by the defence team.

He told the court that, after reviewing the earlier filings, he decided to submit a new application instead. He also asked for more time to complete the fresh filing.

Speaking to journalists after the hearing, prosecution lawyer Ibrahim Muktar criticised the move, saying the defence had continued to file applications that were delaying the trial.

According to him, two more applications asking the judge to recuse himself were also filed after the last adjournment.

Muktar described the latest application as “a delay method” and said the prosecution was ready to proceed with the trial.

He said, “Charge has been filed, prosecution is ready, defense is bringing multiple application and that is what is destroying the time, frustrating the prosecution from commencing the trial, we would have gone far if not because of these applications.”

The court granted the defence more time and adjourned the case until July 22, 2026, for hearing.