Justice Rahman Oshodi of the Lagos State Special Offences Court in Ikeja has rejected a request to recuse himself from the ongoing trial of former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor Godwin Emefiele.
The defense team, led by Olalekan Ojo, had applied for the judge to withdraw, claiming that previous rulings suggested potential bias.
During Monday’s session, John Adetola, the seventh prosecution witness, testified that he received $400,000 from John Ayoh and delivered it to Emefiele’s office. The prosecution also sought to validate WhatsApp messages allegedly retrieved from the phone of Omoile, an associate of Emefiele.
However, the defense objected to the admission of the messages, arguing that they were only presented for identification and not yet considered as evidence. Despite this, Justice Oshodi allowed the witness to read from the document and adjourned the hearing to Wednesday for a decision on the recusal request.
Ojo later renewed the demand for the judge’s withdrawal, asserting that judges could be either consciously or unconsciously biased. Omoile’s lawyer, Gbadamosi Kazeem, supported this position.
However, the prosecution, represented by Rotimi Oyedepo, countered the motion, asserting that the proceedings had been fair.
The judge then postponed the matter until February 26, 2025, to deliver his ruling on the recusal request.
In his ruling on Wednesday, Justice Oshodi dismissed the defense’s claims of bias, finding them unsupported by evidence. He stated that there was no grounds to justify his withdrawal from the case, thus rejecting the recusal application.
Emefiele is facing 19 charges, including abuse of office, accepting bribes, and corrupt practices, filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Originally, the EFCC filed 22 charges against Emefiele and his co-defendant, Henry Omoile. However, on January 8, 2025, the court dismissed four charges related to abuse of office but retained jurisdiction over the remaining charges.
