In a significant development on Wednesday, Rahman Oshodi, the presiding judge at the Ikeja Special Offences Court in Lagos, rejected the defense’s request for him to recuse himself from the ongoing trial of Godwin Emefiele, the former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
Emefiele faces 19 charges related to abuse of office, bribery, and corrupt demands, brought by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The request for Oshodi to step down came during Monday’s proceedings after a heated exchange arose while the seventh prosecution witness, John Adetola, was testifying.
Adetola, under questioning by EFCC counsel Rotimi Oyedepo, referenced a previous testimony in which he claimed to have delivered a bribe from John Ayoh to Emefiele.
This led to the introduction of a WhatsApp message, which Ojo, Emefiele’s counsel, objected to as being inadmissible at that stage.
The defense argued that the document had not been officially admitted as an exhibit, and therefore, the witness should not be allowed to comment on it.
However, the court overruled the objection, citing Section 224 of the Evidence Act, which allows leading questions on undisputed matters.
In response to the ruling, the defense refused to cross-examine the witness and instead moved to have the judge recuse himself, alleging bias.
In his ruling, Oshodi dismissed the allegation, stating that there was no evidence to support claims of partiality.
The judge also granted Emefiele permission to appeal a previous ruling that rejected his application challenging the court’s jurisdiction over the case.
The trial is now set to continue on May 26, 2025.
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