Melaye responds to Galadima's comments on judge's health

Former Kogi West Senator Dino Melaye has hit back at elder statesman Buba Galadima. This comes after Galadima linked him to talks about the health of Federal High Court judge Justice Peter Lifu.

In a post on his X account on Saturday, Melaye expressed surprise that Galadima mentioned him while discussing the judge’s illness. He insisted that he never commented on Lifu’s health.

Melaye also hinted that Galadima's age might be affecting his memory. He said, "I was extremely shocked to hear that Alhaji Buba Galadima mentioned that I made comments on Justice Lifu’s health. It is most unfortunate because I never made any comment on Justice Lifu’s health."

He added, "Old age must be catching up with Buba Galadima. Now I know you can’t cure old age, you can only manage it."

Galadima, who is a member of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, criticized the African Democratic Congress (ADC) over their reaction to Lifu’s illness. He accused them of lacking intelligence regarding the situation.

During an interview on African Independent Television on Wednesday, Galadima referred to Melaye while discussing how the ADC obtained a certified true copy of the judgment against them. He said, "You know there was a judgment against ADC, isn’t it? Yes. And I’ve just heard you read something that Dino Melaye said."

He continued, "They’ve got a true certified copy of the judgment, and I know some ADC people are jumping up and down that the judge (Peter Lifu) who gave a ruling against them has fallen ill and is supposed to be taken to hospital in Europe."

Galadima questioned why ADC members would celebrate the judge's reported illness. He argued that the judge's absence could slow down the party’s appeal against the judgment.

He explained that records of proceedings needed for an appeal could not be signed by another judge while Lifu was away. He said, "I just found out that maybe there aren’t intelligent people in the ADC. They didn’t know that if that is true, it is deliberate to deny them appeal, because if the judge goes to London or Europe or anywhere outside the country, the records of proceedings from his judgment cannot be signed by any judge."

He added, "So no appeal could be had until he’s back. They didn’t know that they are playing on their intelligence, and that’s why Nigerian politicians are lazy. They don’t think."

This controversy follows a judgment by Lifu concerning a leadership dispute in the ADC. The court set aside resolutions from the party’s 99th National Executive Committee meeting on July 29, 2025. This meeting led to Senator David Mark and former Minister of Interior Rauf Aregbesola becoming national officers.

The court also ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission not to recognize or deal with the affected persons as national officers of the party. The ADC has said it plans to challenge this judgment.