The appearance of former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai alongside Isa Ashiru, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) governorship candidate, at the Kaduna State High Court on Tuesday has drawn fresh political attention to the state’s emerging contest ahead of the 2027 governorship election.
El-Rufai arrived at the court at about 11:50 a.m., ahead of a hearing scheduled for noon in his corruption trial, accompanied by Ashiru, a prominent opposition politician who contested the 2023 governorship election against the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
Their joint appearance comes as El-Rufai faces multiple legal proceedings over alleged financial misconduct during his administration from 2015 to 2023, while political alignments begin to take shape ahead of the next governorship election.
Proceedings resumed amid heightened security around the court premises, following an order by Justice Darius Khobo directing the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to produce the former governor after his absence at Monday’s sitting.
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Although Ashiru’s presence places the two politicians together at a politically sensitive moment, it does not, in itself, establish a formal alliance or indicate their respective positions on the allegations before the court.
At Monday’s sitting, ICPC lead counsel Ayodeji Adedipe told the court that the prosecution had expected El-Rufai to be present after agreeing to an adjournment to accommodate his lead defence counsel, Paul Erokoro, who was attending the swearing-in ceremony of new Senior Advocates of Nigeria at the Supreme Court.
Adedipe said the prosecution had not been informed that El-Rufai would also be absent. After contacting the commission to establish the reason for his non-appearance, he was informed that the former governor had requested access to his personal physician to review medical test results.
The information was communicated to the court, which directed that El-Rufai and all counsel appear at the next sitting. Justice Khobo subsequently ordered the ICPC to produce him on Tuesday for the continuation of proceedings.
The hearing comes days after the Court of Appeal dismissed El-Rufai’s appeal challenging the Kaduna State High Court’s refusal to grant him bail.
In a judgment delivered on October 9, a three-member panel unanimously held that he had failed to establish sufficient grounds to overturn the lower court’s decision. The lead judgment, delivered by Justice Onyekachi Aja Otisi, affirmed the high court’s refusal of his second bail application on June 10.
During the appeal, Erokoro argued that the offences were bailable and that continued detention was affecting his client’s ability to prepare his defence, including access to lawyers and witnesses.
The ICPC opposed the appeal, maintaining that the trial court had exercised its discretion appropriately. The commission also raised concerns about statements allegedly made by El-Rufai during a televised interview, arguing that they could raise questions about possible interference with the administration of justice.
The appellate court dismissed the appeal for lacking merit, leaving the refusal of bail in the state case unchanged. The judgment addressed the bail application and did not determine the substantive corruption allegations against the former governor.
El-Rufai’s legal challenges intensified in February 2026 when the ICPC confirmed that he was in its custody over investigations into alleged financial misconduct during his tenure as governor.
On March 24, he was arraigned before the Federal High Court in Kaduna alongside Joel Adoga, a former associate, over a 10-count charge involving alleged money laundering, abuse of office, fraud and unlawful handling of public funds.
The prosecution alleged, among other things, that El-Rufai received severance allowances exceeding his lawful entitlement and was involved in transactions relating to public funds. Both defendants pleaded not guilty.
In a separate case before the Kaduna State High Court, El-Rufai faces allegations including abuse of office, fraud, attempted fraud and conferring undue advantage in connection with transactions and decisions attributed to his administration.
The ICPC also filed a separate case concerning an alleged ₦8.68 billion CCTV surveillance contract in Kaduna State. The proceedings involve El-Rufai, his former senior special adviser, Jimi Lawal, and five companies.
The cases remain separate legal proceedings, with the allegations in each subject to judicial determination.
On April 14, the Federal High Court granted El-Rufai bail in one of the cases, fixing the amount at ₦200 million and imposing conditions that included two sureties. The order did not secure his release because it applied to that proceeding and did not override the separate case before the Kaduna State High Court.
Justice Khobo subsequently rejected another bail application in the state case on April 21.
El-Rufai later sought bail on medical grounds. His defence presented a report purportedly originating from the National Hospital, Abuja, which reportedly indicated that he had advanced metastatic prostate cancer and required specialised treatment.
The ICPC challenged the document, saying the hospital had disowned it and that its records did not establish that El-Rufai had received treatment there.
On June 29, the state high court dismissed his third bail application, citing concerns about the disputed medical report. The court, however, directed the commission to provide him with unrestricted access to his personal physicians and ensure that he could be escorted to a specialised diagnostic or clinical facility of his choice within Nigeria when necessary.
The dispute subsequently led to a separate case against his personal physician, Professor Bello Abubakar, an oncology consultant at the National Hospital.
The ICPC alleged that Abubakar issued a false medical report intended to support El-Rufai’s bail application. The allegations against the physician are separate from the corruption charges against the former governor and remain subject to judicial determination.
The commission had previously referred to Ashiru Kudan in its account of a medical visit involving El-Rufai, alleging that a social media post indicated a meeting had taken place during the period designated for the former governor’s medical consultation.
That episode is separate from Tuesday’s court appearance and does not establish Ashiru’s position on the charges against El-Rufai.
Tuesday’s appearance brings together two prominent figures in Kaduna politics as the state approaches another election cycle, against the backdrop of unresolved legal proceedings involving the former governor.
El-Rufai has denied wrongdoing and remains presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
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