Pressure has continued to mount of Senator Melaye to come clean on the alleged bribery of a judge for political gains.
Dino Melaye
A former representative of Kogi-West senatorial district, Senator Smart Adeyemi, has demanded for thorough investigations into the leaked tape of a conversation held between his successor, Senator Dino Melaye and Justice Akoh Ikpeme.
Adeyemi, who was the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party in the 2015 general election, made the call while speaking to newsmen in Abuja, on Sunday.
The conversation, which some said suggested the existence of a liaison bothering on corruption, has been trending online after it was first posted by an online medium, Sahara Reporters.
The former lawmaker explained that the conduct of Justice Ikpeme and her team during the sitting of the Elections Tribunal in Lokoja left so much to be desired.
Adeyemi said, “I hereby call for a thorough investigation by the appropriate authorities, that is, the Chief Justice of the Federation, the Minister of Justice and Attorney-General for the Federation, the National Judicial Council, the EFCC, the ICPC and the DSS.
“I wish to emphasize without any fear of contradiction that in the Nigerian judiciary, there are people of high integrity; who are God-fearing. Our judiciary is still one of the best in Africa and, indeed, our professionals compete favourably with the best of legal practitioners around the globe.
“Now, to the kernel of this discourse; after the judgment of Justice Akon Ikpeme at the National Assembly Tribunal sitting in Lokoja, the people of our senatorial district were shocked and perplexed as to the outcome of the ruling of the judge.”
He noted that his election petition before Justice Akon Ikpeme was hurriedly struck out for no justifiable reason. And that when his legal team proceeded to the Appeal Court to seek redress, the appellate court ruled that the matter should be heard, this he said led his team back to the tribunal.
Adeyemi said he and the members of his legal team sensed a foul play in the way his petition was struck out so they petitioned the President of the Court of Appeal asking that the case be assigned to another judge, adding that the president granted the request and re-assigned the case to Justice Diran Akintola.
Several attempts to get an official reaction from Melaye were unsuccessful as he neither picked nor returned calls made to his mobile telephone. He did not respond to a text message sent to him on the subject.
In other news, the Judge involved in Dino Melaye tape scandal, Justice Akon Ikpeme has "confessed" to speaking to Senator Melaye, seeks soft-landing.
See screenshot from the Twitter page of Sahara Reporters:
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