The courtroom drama between former Kaduna governor Mallam Nasir El-Rufai and the state judiciary ended in a dead end, as Chief Judge Justice Muhammad Aliyu rejected his request to transfer a nine-count ICPC trial to another judge.
In a letter dated August 19, the CJ said a three-man panel found “no basis” to remove the case from Justice Darius Khobo, and ordered that hearing should continue “in accordance with the law and fairness.”
“No Merit” In Bias Allegations
El-Rufai and his counsel, Unong Akpan, had filed two petitions on June 30 and July 6 asking that Charge No. KDH/KAD/ICPC/01/2026 be reassigned. They accused Justice Khobo of bias, claiming his June 10 ruling amounted to a pre-judgment of guilt.
The petitions also alleged the judge attended political gatherings in Southern Kaduna between March and May 2026, where he supposedly promised community leaders that El-Rufai would not get bail and would be convicted.
Pursuant to Section 111 of the Kaduna Administration of Criminal Justice Law, 2017, the CJ set up a panel of three senior lawyers to investigate. The committee submitted its report on August 18.
“I have studied and considered the petitions… as well as your lordship’s responses,” Justice Aliyu wrote to Justice Khobo. “The committee found no basis for the exercise of my administrative powers to transfer the matter.”
El-Rufai Points To Southern Kaduna ‘Cabal’
In his six-page petition, the former governor linked the trial to politics. He argued that actions taken during his 2015-2023 tenure, including siting military bases in Kafanchan, Kachia and Zangon Kataf, broke “the backbone of a Southern Kaduna cabal” that profited from conflict.
He said those same forces had now “found, in the person of Hon. Justice Darius Hyet Khobo, a judicial instrument for their vengeance.” El-Rufai offered to name witnesses in camera and asked that all pending applications be heard de novo by a new judge.
Trial To Continue Before Justice Khobo
The CJ closed the door on reassignment. Justice Khobo will now proceed with the ICPC prosecution, which borders on alleged corrupt practices during El-Rufai’s time in office.
El-Rufai had stressed he was not seeking bail review, but a fresh judge. That request has been denied. With the CJ’s directive, the high-profile case returns to court, setting the stage for the next round of arguments in one of Kaduna’s most politically charged trials in years.
