We were reliably informed that Etaba, an indigene of Obubra Local Government Area, like Egba, called up the C-J on the phone from Abuja early this week, pleading that the matter be put aside. He was however told in very strong terms by the CR number one legal officer that the matter was already in the court of public opinion and further advised to restrict his influence to his legislative functions in Abuja, judicial sources who spoke with www.calitown.com said. This past Wednesday evening too, Egba’s lawyer who attempted to see the C-J at his official residence, close to the Presidential Lodge, Calabar, on the matter, was told in very clear terms to back off.
But the pressure mounting game seems to have shifted from the tough talking and articulate C-J to some legal officers believed to be close to him. While www.calitown.com cannot for certain say if an exchange of cash is in the mix, what we are certain about is that a list of these officers has been penned down and they will be pestered into begging the C-J to stand down the matter. Inside the Ministry of Justice, one source insists too that Dorothy Duke, the magistrate at the centre of the issue, is under considerable pressure to hands off the matter. We are yet to prove if the news making the rounds that a few senior judges and lawyers, have promised the magistrate that they will stand in her way, years down the road, if she does not stand down the matter, is true.
Recall that last week, www.calitown.com and several online media in the state and beyond, reported on the physical and verbal exchanges between the Commissioner, wife and driver on one hand and the FRSC officials and mobile court officials on the other hand, with still photos and a video of the incident going viral.