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The Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices (and Other Related Offences) Commission (ICPC) has been called upon by a group, the Civil Society Network Against Corruption (CSNAC), a coalition of over hundred and fifty Anti-corruption organizations to investigate the allegation of bias levelled by the deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu against Justice Adeniyi Ademola.
A report in the Punch newspaper had stated that the deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu is suspected to have made false declarations in his application to the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Justice Ibrahim Auta, asking for transfer of a case from Justice Adeniyi Ademola to another judge.
Ekweremadu’s claim was in response to a suit filed by five All Progressives Congress (APC) senators challenging the leadership elections of the 8th Senate, in which Senator Ekweremadu is a respondent.
“The five plaintiffs (Senators) through the suit FHC/ABJ/CS/651/2015 are seeking the removal of both Senator Bukola Saraki and Senator Ike Ekweremadu as the Senate President and Deputy Senate President respectively on the ground that the elections which produced them on June 9, 2015 when the 8th Senate was proclaimed were conducted using forged version of the Senate Standing Orders.
“Four days after Justice Ademola heard the parties to the suit and reserved judgment in the case on December 14, 2015, Ekweremadu initiated moves to stop the court from delivering its verdict by levelling allegation of bias against the judge in the aforementioned application.
The report further stated that in the said application dated 17th December, 2015 and filed 18th December, 2015, the deputy Senate President alleged that Justice Ademola was bias in the handling of this case, due to his alleged closeness to a national leader of the APC, Bola Tinubu.
“He also alleged further in the petition that the judge’s wife was recently appointed Head of Service in Lagos State due to his relationship with Tinubu.”
“By virtue of Section 25 of the ICPC Act,” the group stated that “it is an offence for anyone to make statements which is false or intended to mislead to a public officer.”
•Photo shows Senator Ike Ekweremadu
