Nasir El-Rufai, the former governor of Kaduna State, has officially asked the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, to move Justice R.M. Aikawa of the Federal High Court in Kaduna to another case so that he can stop presiding over El-Rufai’s criminal trial.
El-Rufai asked the CJN in a petition dated April 9, 2026, to move the case to another judge in the Kaduna division or take other administrative steps to protect the integrity of the proceedings and keep the public’s trust in the courts.
He said that Justice Aikawa’s continued handling of the case was “untenable in law, prudence, common sense, and judicial ethics,” pointing to claims of bias, pending disciplinary complaints against the judge, and the judge’s refusal to step down.
Reports say that Justice Aikawa is currently in charge of a 10-count charge that the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has brought against El-Rufai and his co-defendant.
The charges are for alleged abuse of power, money laundering, and fraud involving ₦579.6 million and $1.1 million.
The case is set to have a bail hearing on April 14.
El-Rufai’s most recent petition, which comes after one he filed in February 2025, lists several reasons for wanting the judge to be removed from the case.
One of these is a number of complaints that haven’t been resolved yet and are now before the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court and the National Judicial Council (NJC).
He also said that the current criminal charge and the previous case involve the same litigant, the same judicial division, and similar political and factual situations, which he called a “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 said.
“Letting Justice Aikawa continue with this criminal trial could hurt people’s faith in the justice system, compromise the integrity of the proceedings, and make it almost certain that the whole process will be overturned on appeal.”
El-Rufai said that Justice Aikawa should have turned down the case at the start or sent it to the Chief Judge to be given to another judge in the Kaduna division or somewhere else in the Federal High Court.
He said that the CJN needed to step in again because the judge didn’t do either of those things.
El-Rufai asked the CJN in the petition to tell the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court to immediately give the case to another judge, either in the Kaduna division or outside of it. He also asked that the Preliminary Assessment Committee of the NJC be sent information about Justice Aikawa’s behavior so they can look into it. He also asked that any other administrative steps that need to be taken to protect the integrity of the proceedings and the public’s trust in the courts be taken.
