El-Rufai, who also served as minister of the Federal Capital Territory, is facing prosecution on an amended five-count charge filed by the secret police.
At Thursday’s proceedings, the prosecution informed the court that the initial three-count charge had been expanded to five counts.
Following the update, Justice Joyce Abdulmalik struck out the earlier charges.
The former governor entered a plea of not guilty to all counts.
After the plea, DSS counsel, Oluwole Aladeloye, asked the court to fix dates for trial.
However, defence counsel, Oluwole Iyamu, opposed the request, saying he needed time to properly consult with his client, noting that El-Rufai had been in the custody of multiple security agencies.
Iyamu further told the court that a bail application had already been submitted on February 17, alongside a recently filed further affidavit.
Justice Abdulmalik responded that the additional affidavit was not in the court’s file, stressing that proper filing procedures should have been followed rather than what she described as unnecessary distractions in the courtroom.
She criticised what she termed “Nollywood theatrics” involving camera operators taking pictures during proceedings.
The defence lawyer denied responsibility for the presence of media personnel.
The judge subsequently stood down the case to allow time to resolve the issue surrounding the missing affidavit.
The charges stem from remarks El-Rufai made in February during an appearance on ‘Prime Time,’ a programme on Arise Television, where he alleged that Ribadu’s phone had been tapped.
“He made the call because we listened to their calls. The government thinks they are the only ones that listen to calls but we also have our ways. He made the call and gave the order,” El-Rufai had said.
“Someone tapped his phone. The government listens to our calls all the time without a court order. Someone tapped his phone and told us that he gave the order.”