A Lagos Special Offences Court has ruled that it will proceed with the corruption trial of former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Godwin Emefiele, rejecting his request for the presiding judge to step aside.
Justice Rahman Oshodi, delivering the ruling on Wednesday, dismissed the plea for his recusal, stating that claims of bias were unfounded.
He emphasized that allegations of judicial bias alone are insufficient grounds for a judge’s disqualification unless they are personal or based on judicial reasoning.
The judge, therefore, determined that the request lacked merit and declined to step down from the case.
During Monday’s court session, Emefiele’s lead counsel, Olalekan Ojo, SAN, had urged Justice Oshodi to withdraw from the trial.
The defence argued that the judge’s decision to allow the prosecution to pose a leading question—despite the defence’s objection—compromised their ability to fairly cross-examine the witness. Based on this, they sought the judge’s recusal, but the request was ultimately denied.