The trial of former Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir Ahmad el-Rufai, suffered a fresh setback yesterday after the state high court adjourned proceedings pending a decision by the chief judge on an application seeking the transfer of the case to another judge.

Justice Darius Khobo consequently adjourned the matter till July 15 for the hearing and determination of el-Rufai’s application for recusal, after the defence challenged the court’s impartiality and petitioned the chief judge to reassign the case. This was with the expectation that the chief judge would have decided on the transfer request before the next sitting.

Meanwhile, el-Rufai’s personal doctor, Prof. Bello Abubakar, has reportedly been arrested by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC)

The ICPC said he was arrested for misleading the anti-graft agency to believe that el-Rufai was being attended to at the National Hospital in Abuja, adding that the arranged medical visit was used for activities outside the scope contemplated by the court and the commission.

Reacting to the development, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) raised alarm over the alleged refusal of medical access to el-Rufai, stressing that such action threatens human freedom and is an indication of tyranny.

The ADC said it is deeply alarmed by reports that ICPC officials forcefully denied el-Rufai access to medical care yesterday, arrested his personal physician and physically assaulted his wife.

It said the former governor was billed for treatment at the National Hospital in Abuja yesterday, but that, against the hospital’s advice that he would require hospitalisation in view of his failing health, officials of the ICPC insisted on returning him into custody.

The party stated that protests by his personal physician and his wife led to scuffles, during which his wife was assaulted, and the doctor was subsequently arrested.

In a statement by ADC National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, the party said President Bola Tinubu was holding el-Rufai as a political prisoner in Nigeria.

In another development, the ADC governorship candidate in Kaduna State, Ashiru Kudan, has disclosed that he visited el-Rufai in Abuja yesterday, vowing to dislodge the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2027.

In a post on his verified Facebook page after he met with the former governor, Ashiru described the discussion as productive, stressing that it strengthened the party’s resolve ahead of the 2027 governorship election.

According to Ashiru, his conversation with el-Rufai has only deepened their resolve, as the ADC in Kaduna is not merely ready but is “fully able to dislodge the incompetent APC-led administration that has failed the good people of our state.”

Meanwhile, in his ruling, Justice Darius Khobo agreed with the prosecution that the Kaduna State Administration of Criminal Justice Law (ACJL), 2017, permits a court to proceed where a defendant wilfully refuses to attend trial and that the mere filing of a recusal application does not automatically halt criminal proceedings.

However, he held that since the Chief Judge had already received a formal petition seeking the transfer of the case, the court would await his directive before continuing with the substantive trial. He also directed the prosecution to file its response to the recusal application.

This came after the lead prosecuting counsel, Ayodeji Adedipe (SAN), told the court that the former governor, who is in the custody of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), declined to accompany operatives to court, insisting on seeing his personal doctor.

According to the prosecution, el-Rufai neither made a prior request to the commission to consult his physician nor complained of any illness when examined by the ICPC’s medical doctor. Rather, he reportedly stated that he wished to honour his wife’s request to see his personal doctor.

However, counsel to the defendant, Ubong Akpan, urged the court not to proceed with the accelerated hearing, explaining that a formal petition had already been submitted to the chief judge requesting that the case be reassigned to another judge.