‘Abuse of office’: Emefiele accuses Justice Oshodi of bias, demands recusal from trial

Godwin Emefiele, the embattled former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has accused Justice Abdulrahman Oshodi of bias in his ongoing trial, demanding that the judge recuse himself from further proceedings.

Emefiele’s legal team led by two Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SAN), Olalekan Ojo and Kazeem Gbadamosi, made the disclosure in a statement made available to The Witness on Monday.

During the resumed trial on Monday, Olalekan Ojo SAN, Emefiele’s lead counsel, filed an application requesting that the judge step down, citing bias. He claimed that the objection stems from a remark made by Justice Oshodi during the trial, when he stated that the allegation of bribery against Godwin Emefiele had been proven.

“This statement occurred during the prosecution’s examination of a witness, Adetola John, led by counsel Rotimi Oyedepo SAN” he said.

The defense team contended that such a statement, made before the conclusion of the trial and before cross-examination had begun, suggested that the judge had already prejudged the case. Ojo criticized the proceedings, stating, “This court has granted an accelerated hearing on this matter, but what we are witnessing is an accelerated sentencing.”

Similarly, Kazeem Gbadamosi SAN strongly objected to Justice Oshodi’s continued handling of the case, arguing that the judge’s statement effectively convicted Emefiele before the trial was complete. He called for the judge to step down from further involvement in the case.

Justice Oshodi has announced that he will rule on the application for his recusal on February 26.