A Lagos court has refused to stop the corruption trial of former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Godwin Emefiele. The Special Offences Court, led by Justice Rahman Oshodi, dismissed Emefiele’s request for the judge to step down from the case.

On Wednesday, Justice Oshodi ruled that the claims of bias made against him were not strong enough to justify his removal. He explained that judicial bias must be personal or based on judicial reasoning, not just general accusations.

Earlier in the week, Emefiele’s lawyer, Olalekan Ojo (SAN), had asked the judge to recuse himself. The lawyer argued that the judge allowed a leading question from the prosecution, which had been objected to earlier. He claimed this action made it unfair for the defence to cross-examine the witness properly.

However, the court ruled that the request lacked merit and rejected it, allowing the trial to continue.