BREAKING: Court rejects Emefiele’s bid to stop corruption trial

The Special Offences Court in Lagos has ruled against halting the corruption trial of former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Godwin Emefiele.

In a ruling on Wednesday, Justice Rahman Oshodi dismissed Emefiele’s request for him to recuse himself from the case, stating that the allegations of bias were unsubstantiated.

He emphasized that judicial bias alone does not warrant disqualification unless it is personal or stems from judicial reasoning.

The judge concluded that the recusal application lacked merit and outrightly rejected it.

During Monday’s court session, Emefiele’s lead counsel, Olalekan Ojo (SAN), argued that Justice Oshodi’s decision to allow a leading question from the prosecution—despite objections from the defense—had undermined fair cross-examination.

As a result, he requested the judge step down from the case, a request the court has now dismissed.