Alleged Judicial Bias: Appeal Court Reserves Judgment on Emefiele’s Bid to Disqualify Trial Judge
Wale Igbintade The Court of Appeal in Lagos has reserved judgment in an appeal by former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele, challenging a trial judge’s
Godwin Emefiele, who led the Central Bank of Nigeria for close to a decade, has faced multiple criminal charges since his removal and detention in 2023, including allegations bordering on fraud, procurement breaches and abuse of office tied to his tenure at the apex bank. His trials have drawn significant public attention given his previous standing as one of Nigeria's most powerful financial regulators, and have moved through various preliminary and interlocutory stages even before arguments on the substantive charges begin.
This latest appeal centres on Emefiele's attempt to have the judge presiding over his trial removed on grounds of alleged bias, a procedural move that, if successful, would see the case reassigned to another judge and could further delay proceedings. Both ThisDay and Leadership report that the Court of Appeal in Lagos has reserved judgment after hearing arguments, without yet indicating when a ruling will be delivered. Neither report details the specific conduct or remarks underpinning the bias allegation, nor the prosecution's response, leaving the substance of the dispute and its implications for the main trial still unclear.