Nasir El-Rufai, the former governor of Kaduna State, has requested that Justice R. M. Aikawa of the Federal High Court in Kaduna shift his continuing case to Chief Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun of Nigeria.
El-Rufai expressed concerns about what he called bias and dubious judicial conduct in a plea dated April 9, 2026, requesting that the case be transferred to another judge in the Kaduna division. He contended that it would be unethical and illegal to let Justice Aikawa to continue presiding over the case.
According to the former governor, the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court and the National Judicial Council (NJC) are now considering a number of petitions alleging the judge’s bias.
He claims that reassignment is required due to the case’s circumstances, particularly its relationship to previous procedures involving the same parties and related matters. Additionally, he highlighted what he called a “unavoidable perception of bias,” emphasizing that this perception on its own might erode trust in the legal system.
El-Rufai cautioned that continuing with the current arrangement could have serious personal repercussions, harm the judiciary’s reputation, and possibly render the trial illegal at the appellate stage.
He insisted that the case ought to have been either referred for reassignment when issues were brought up or given to a new judge from the beginning.
He asked the CJN to order the matter to be transferred right away to a different judge, either inside or outside the Kaduna division. Additionally, he requested that the petition’s concerns—including Justice Aikawa’s behavior—be forwarded to the relevant NJC body for consideration.
He also called for administrative actions to maintain public confidence in the legal system and guarantee the trial’s integrity.
As of the time this article was filed, neither the CJN nor the pertinent judicial authorities had issued an official response to the petition.
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