A member of the House of Representatives, Ikenga Ugochinyere has asked Justice Rahman Oshodi, the Judge of the Lagos State Special Offences Court handling the trial of the former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, Godwin Emefiele to allow another Judge to preside over allegations of manifest bias.
Recall that on Monday, Emefiele’s defence, led by Olalekan Ojo, had applied for the judge to excuse himself from the case, arguing that his previous rulings suggested a likelihood of bias.
However on Wednesday, the judge, Justice Oshodi dismissed the request saying the allegations of bias raised by the defence were unsubstantiated, and that there was no evidence to justify his withdrawal from the case.
Reacting to this this Thursday, Ugochinyere who represents Ideato North/South Federal Constituency of lmo State, says justice Oshodi should have honored the application to recuse himself from the trial to allow for impartiality to exist in the trial.
He advised Emefiele to appeal the decision saying it is within his right to seek fair hearing and to ask the Judge to recuse himself.