In what appears to be a fresh scandal, Senator Dino Melaye, the Senator representing Kogi West under the All Progressives Congress (APC), has been accused of offering to bribe a federal judge.
An audio published by news website, Sahara Reporters, on Tuesday, appears to contain exchanges between Senator Melaye and the judge, Akon Ikpeme, as they duo discussed the bribe money.
Mrs. Ikpeme was the head of the Kogi State National Assembly Election Petitions Tribunal, which handled a case brought by Smart Adeyemi, a former senator, against Mr. Melaye’s election in 2015.
In the clip, a male voice believed to be Mr. Melaye’s, could be heard assuring a female speaker, supposedly the judge, of his readiness to pay some money, which the female speaker emphasised should be in “in USD (United States dollars).”
The exchange went as follows:
Judge: I wanted to tell you that whatever you want to do, make it in USD
Dino: Of course, of course, of course, of course, of course, no problem madam, no problem.
It was unclear whether the money was finally paid.
Earlier in the recording, the judge had informed the Senator that she had returned to her state, Cross Rivers, apparently after her work at the tribunal.
Mr. Melaye assured he would reach Mrs. Ikpeme after returning from a London trip with the Senate President, Bukola Saraki.
Apart from money, the conversation also revealed that the judge relied on the Senator to peddle his influence to get her daughter a job placement in Cross Rivers State’s civil service.
Mr. Melaye boasted that he had already spoken with the governor, Ben Ayade, and a permanent secretary in the state ministry of health for the job.
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