A Kaduna State High Court on Tuesday ordered that former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai, remain in the custody of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, pending a ruling on his bail application.

The trial judge, Darius Khobo, fixed the first week of June for ruling after listening to arguments from both the prosecution and the defence on the bail request.

With the development, the former governor may not participate in the activities leading to the presidential, governorship and National Assembly primaries of the African Democratic Congress.

By the Independent National Electoral Commission timetable, party primaries are to commence on April 23, 2026 and end by May 30, 2026.

The ADC has yet to fix a date for its presidential primary, as the David Mark-led faction and the Nafiu Bala-led faction battle at the Supreme Court over the party’s authentic leadership.

The apex court fixed today (Wednesday) for the hearing of an appeal arising from the leadership crisis in the ADC.

El-Rufai is standing trial on an amended nine-count charge bordering on alleged fraud, abuse of office and corruption.

The anti-graft agency had earlier amended the charge, leaving the former governor as the sole defendant before the Kaduna State High Court.

A Federal High Court earlier granted the former governor N200m bail, with additional conditions.

At the resumed hearing on Tuesday, proceedings were dominated by arguments on the defendant’s application for bail.

Counsel for the ICPC opposed the application, arguing that granting bail could undermine ongoing investigations, alleging that the defendant might interfere with witnesses or evidence.

However, the court declined to deliver an immediate ruling, instead ordering that El-Rufai be remanded in ICPC custody pending its decision.

Reacting, counsel for the defendant, Ubong Akpan, faulted the court’s position, describing it as unjustified and suggestive of deeper concerns.

He argued that the refusal to grant bail appeared to be premised on the assumption that his client’s status as a former governor could enable him to tamper with investigations.

“The court, in its wisdom, decided that because Nasir El-Rufai is a former governor, he is going to interfere with the investigation. Therefore, he is not entitled to bail in an allegation of financial impropriety. We respectfully disagree,” he said.

Akpan stated that the defence team would review the ruling and take appropriate legal steps to challenge it.

“The next step is to take the legal steps required to challenge it. We will respond through the proper legal process. That is what the law requires,” he added.

The defence lawyer further maintained that the case had political undertones, but stressed that the team would remain guided by the rule of law.

“From the beginning, everything about Nasir El-Rufai’s travails has always been political. This is mainly the legal arm of it,” he said.

He also urged supporters of the former governor to remain calm and law-abiding.

“Don’t allow fear to take over. Don’t act as if something fatal has happened. Nobody has died.

“In a conflict, you have gains and setbacks. Sometimes things work against you, but you must not be frightened. Sit up. We are going to take this battle on, and we are going to win,” he said.

The matter was adjourned to the first week of June for ruling on the bail application and continuation of proceedings.

El-Rufai, who returned to the country from Cairo, Egypt, on February 12, 2026.

Following his arrival, he has been involved in multiple legal proceedings, including investigations by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and subsequently the ICPC, and the Department of State Service.

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The leadership crisis rocking the Labour Party deepened on Tuesday as factional National Chairman, Julius Abure, rejected the judgment of the Court of Appeal, vowing to challenge it at the Supreme Court.

Abure, in a statement made available to journalists in Abuja, dismissed the appellate court’s ruling, which affirmed the leadership of Nenadi Usman, insisting it ran contrary to established legal principles and party procedures.

He argued that party leadership issues remained an internal matter beyond the scope of judicial interference, adding that the court’s decision did not align with existing legal precedents.

“We have seen what transpired today at the Appeal Court, and we want to say very clearly that the judgment is not acceptable to all of us in the Labour Party, led by my humble self.

“I want to say very clearly that the judgment is against all known principles of law. The courts, the Supreme Court and all courts in Nigeria have stated very clearly that the issue of leadership of a political party is an internal affair of a political party.

“It is also not true, and I disagree when people say that the tenure of this executive has expired. That is untrue and very unacceptable to us,” he stated.

Earlier, a three-member panel of the Court of Appeal in Abuja unanimously dismissed Abure’s appeal, describing it as unconvincing and lacking legal foundation.

The court upheld the earlier judgment of the Federal High Court, which had affirmed Usman’s leadership.

Abure held that the party’s convention in Nnewi on March 27, 2024, produced a valid leadership expected to run for four years.

According to him, the court failed to properly consider this in reaching its conclusion.

He said, “I want to say that the court today didn’t look at that before concluding that the tenure has expired. I must also say clearly that the Umuahia meeting, which produced the Caretaker Committee, was also against the Labour Party constitution.

“It is only the National Chairman and Secretary of a political party who have the power to convene any NEC meeting of any sort. Let me state clearly that we are going to appeal that decision.

“Today’s decision of the Appeal Court is not acceptable to us, and we reject it in its entirety. We have put our legal team together, and we are going to file an appeal and move to the Supreme Court.”

The ruling marks a major setback for Abure’s faction, as a series of legal and political developments have tilted recognition in favour of Usman’s camp.

The crisis reached a decisive turning point two months ago when the Independent National Electoral Commission formally recognised the Usman-led National Caretaker Committee as the authentic leadership of the party, acting on the directive of the Federal High Court.

The commission’s move followed weeks of intense internal wrangling, parallel leadership claims and protracted court battles that have dogged the party since the 2023 general elections.

As part of the changes, INEC updated its records, replacing Abure’s name with that of Usman as Acting National Chairman on its official platform.

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A fresh wave of defections swept through the House of Reps on Tuesday as lawmakers realigned across party lines in what appears to be an early positioning for the 2027 general elections.

At the resumption of plenary after the Easter break, the Deputy Speaker, Benjamin Kalu, read out a series of defection letters, reflecting a growing fluidity within Nigeria’s political space. He dismissed concerns that the trend signalled an attempt to edge the country toward a one-party system, insisting instead that it underscored democratic freedom.

“This is to show the country that no party is stifled. People are leaving the majority party for the minority parties and the minority parties for the majority party.

This is the beauty of democracy,” Kalu said.

One of the notable movements came from Lagos, where Thaddeus Attah, representing Eti-Osa Federal Constituency, dumped the Labour Party for the African Democratic Congress.

In his letter, Attah attributed his decision to “the protracted crisis in the leadership of the LP,” which he said has hampered effective representation of his constituents in recent months.

The Peoples Democratic Party emerged as the biggest casualty of the latest round of defections, losing five members.

Among them, Abubakar Abdul from Niger State defected to the All Progressives Congress, while Yakubu Noma (Kebbi) joined the ADC and Ibrahim Mohammed (also from Kebbi) moved to the APC.

In Osun State, two lawmakers—Mudashiru Alani (Ayedire/Iwo/Ola-Oluwa) and Adetunji Olusoji (Odo-Otin/Ifelodun/Boripe)—left the PDP for the Accord.

The APC also recorded losses. David Fuoh (Taraba) defected to the PDP, while Bashir Zubair (Kaduna) joined the ADC, highlighting the two-way nature of the shifting alliances.

Defections are not new in Nigeria’s political landscape, particularly as election cycles approach.

With less than two years to the 2027 polls, lawmakers are increasingly recalibrating their positions in response to internal party disputes, electoral calculations, and evolving regional dynamics.

The current wave is partly driven by lingering leadership crises within parties—most notably in the PDP and LP amid ongoing efforts by both major and smaller parties to strengthen their ranks ahead of primaries.

The House adjourned plenary to Wednesday in honour of Kano lawmaker, Hassan Danjuma, who died on April 10, 2026, at the age of 66.