Justice Deinde Dipeolu ruled that interested parties could approach the Court of Appeal, but only after a decision has been made by the trial court.
In this instance, the court had yet to make any ruling on the substantive issues or applications filed.
The judge dismissed an oral application by Ojo, counsel for former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor Godwin Emefiele, which sought to stay the proceedings pending the outcome of a banker’s appeal. Ojo argued that the appeal should be resolved before continuing with the case to prevent “judicial rascality.”
However, counsel for the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Rotimi Oyedepo (SAN), objected, stating that no decision had been made to warrant an appeal.
He argued that Emefiele’s team had prematurely filed documents at the Court of Appeal without the necessary leave of the trial court.
Justice Dipeolu agreed with Oyedepo and ruled that the ongoing proceedings would not be paused, as the appeal did not fulfill the required conditions.
