The day Dino Melaye, senator representing Kogi West Senatorial District ousted Smart Adeyemi, former senator and candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in the 2015 general election, the battle line was drawn between them. Adeyemi has never disguised his intention to wrestle back the Senatorial seat from Melaye, hence he headed to the courts.
There is now a twist to the battle between the two gladiators. Adeyemi has demanded for thorough investigations into a leaked tape of a conversation between Melaye and Justice Akoh Ikpeme. 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.
“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 emphasise 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,” said Adeyemi.
Continuing, he said, “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.”
Adeyemi alleged 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. He 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.
But Melaye refuted the allegations on Channels TV, saying they were orchestrated by Adeyemi and others in a desperate attempt to seek relevance.