Election Petition: Falana, Keyamo, 126 Other Lawyers Offer Dino Melaye Free Legal Service

A team of Nigerian lawyers, numbering about 128, have offered to defend Senator-elect, Dino Melaye, who won the Kogi West Senatorial District election, but whose victory is now been challenged by his Peoples Democratic Party’s opponent, Smart Adeyemi, at the state election tribunal.

Among the lawyers who have offered free legal service to Mr. Melaye are Femi Falana, Rickey Tarfa and Festus Keyamo, and other 126 laywers.

Mr. Melaye revealed the offer of pro bono legal service to him to Premium Times.


Mr. Adeyemi, who is the incumbent Senator representing Kogi West in the Nigerian upper legislative chamber, contested the March 28 election as the candidate of the PDP.


Mr. Melaye was candidate of the All Progressives Congress in the election.


The Independent National Electoral Commission had returned Mr. Melaye winner of the election, with 41,120 votes as against Mr. Adeyemi’s 38,148.


However, dissatisfied with the outcome, the PDP candidate dragged his APC challenger before the tribunal sitting in Lokoja, the Kogi State capital, alleging irregularities in the conduct of the election as well as the result declared by INEC.