El-Rufai drops three court applications as new lawyer apologises to Kaduna judge
By: Oluwaseun M. Lawal
The legal battle involving former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai took a fresh turn on Wednesday. Not because the trial moved forward, but because his new lawyer decided to change course.
Appearing before the Kaduna State High Court, Senior Advocate of Nigeria Paul Erokoro asked Justice Darius Khobo to strike out three applications previously filed on behalf of the former governor. He explained that after taking over the case, he reviewed the documents and was not comfortable proceeding with them.
In a rare moment inside the courtroom, Erokoro apologised to the judge, describing the earlier applications as overly confrontational. Some of the language used, he said, was not something he could personally adopt. So, he chose a different approach.
The senior lawyer informed the court that a fresh application has now been prepared to replace the withdrawn ones. He however requested additional time to complete the filing before the matter proceeds.
But the prosecution wasn’t impressed.
Counsel to the Kaduna State Government, Ibrahim Muktar, accused the defence of repeatedly filing new applications instead of allowing the corruption trial to begin. According to him, two additional requests seeking the judge’s withdrawal from the case had also been submitted after the previous adjournment.
To the prosecution, the pattern is becoming familiar. And frustrating.
Muktar argued that the continuous applications were slowing down proceedings and preventing the court from addressing the substance of the charges. He maintained that the prosecution has long been ready to present its case, insisting the repeated filings were only dragging out the process.
After hearing both sides, Justice Khobo granted the defence more time to finalise its new application and adjourned the matter until July 22, 2026, when the case is expected to come up again for hearing.
Oluwaseun Musa Lawal is an Editor at REPORTERS ROOM with over eight years of professional journalism experience. He specializes in reporting on politics, climate change, health, and education, while also covering security, economic, and judicial affairs. His work is driven by a commitment to accuracy, balanced reporting, and public-interest journalism.
