The Court of Appeal sitting in Kaduna has reserved judgment in an appeal filed by former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai, challenging the decision of the Kaduna State High Court to refuse his bail application.

A three-member panel led by Justice Onyekachi Aja Otisi reserved judgment on Tuesday, October 6, 2026, after hearing arguments from lawyers representing El-Rufai and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC). The court did not announce a date for delivering its judgment.

The ICPC, through its lead counsel, Ayodeji Adedipe, urged the appellate court to dismiss the appeal and uphold the decision of the Kaduna State High Court.

Adedipe told the court that El-Rufai had submitted three separate applications for bail before the trial court and that all three had been rejected.

According to the ICPC lawyer, the first application was dismissed, while the second was rejected after the former governor failed to establish exceptional circumstances that would justify another application.

He further said a third bail application was subsequently filed and also dismissed by the High Court. The ICPC argued that El-Rufai nevertheless chose to appeal the ruling on the second application rather than challenge the decision on the third application.

Adedipe also argued that El-Rufai’s legal team did not disclose the outcome of the third bail application to the Court of Appeal and consequently urged the appellate court to consider the appeal lacking in merit.

However, El-Rufai’s counsel, Paul Erokoro, SAN, asked the Court of Appeal to overturn the High Court’s decision and grant his client bail pending the determination of the criminal charges against him.

Erokoro argued that the offences for which El-Rufai is facing trial are bailable and do not constitute capital offences. He maintained that continued detention was making it more difficult for the former governor to prepare his defence.

The lawyer further argued that custody had affected El-Rufai’s access to his lawyers and potential witnesses and raised concerns about the ability to maintain confidential communication between the defendant and his legal team.

Erokoro also referred to El-Rufai’s political status and argued that the timing of the criminal proceedings, coming ahead of the 2027 general elections, should be considered by the court. That position represents the defence's argument and has not been established as a finding by the court.

El-Rufai, who served as Kaduna State governor from 2015 to 2023, is facing corruption-related proceedings brought by the ICPC. The former governor has denied wrongdoing.

The latest development means the former governor’s bail status remains unresolved pending the Court of Appeal’s judgment. With no delivery date announced, both parties will have to await further direction from the appellate court.

Reporting by TalkNaijaMedia