A coalition of civil society organisations (CSOs) for credible leadership under the auspices of Justice4All (J4A), has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to quickly forward the nomination of current acting President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Monica Dongban-Mensem, to the Senate for confirmation as the substantive head of the appellate court.
According to a statement sent out on Tuesday in Abuja, the coalition said, having being formally forwarded to Mr. President for confirmation by the National Judicial Council (NJC), any attempt to tinker with the lawfully made request by a body empowered by the law, will amount to constitutional aberration.
The statement signed by the J4A’s coordinator, policy advocacy, Musa Haladu, further admonished the President to speedily act on the nomination according to the dictates of the law and in the intrest of justice and fairness.
“Justice Monica Dongban-Mensem is the most senior justice of the Appeal Court in the circumstance and she is suitable for the position of President of the court. Having been formally nominated by the National Judicial Council (NJC), a body empowered by the 1999 constitution to do, it is expedient on Mr. President to act accordingly and immediately.
“We gathered on good authority that there are clandestine moves to truncate Justice Monica Dongban-Mensem’s nomination as the President of Court of Appeal (PCA). We view this development as a bad omen for constitutional democracy like ours, which must not be allowed to succeed.
“We, therefore, urge President Muhammadu Buhari to immediately act in the best interest of the law, justice and fairness to all concerned in order not to jeopardise the sanctity and independence of the judiciary,” Haladu said.
Justice Dongban-Mensem currently serving as the acting president of the appellate court was sworn-in by the chief justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Ibrahim Muhammad, on March 7, 2019.
It will be recalled that the NJC had in a statement issued on Sunday by its director of Information, Mr. Soji Oye, said that the request for the nomination of Justice Dongban-Mensem formed part of the decisions taken at the recent virtual meeting of members of the council.
In Another Similar Press Release the Nigeria Guild of Professional Women (NGPW) has warned against any move to deny the current acting President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Monica Dongban-Mensem, the opportunity of being confirmed as the substantive head of the Court.
The Guild, in a statement issued yesterday in Lagos and jointly signed by Prof. Jemima Anshe and Barr. Hauwa Labbo, the chairperson and publicity secretary of NGPW respectively, said Justice Dongban-Mensem’s gender and religion should not be the obstacles to her confirmation as the President of the appellate court.
“It is clear to everyone that Justice Monica Dongban-Mensem is eminently qualified to be appointed as the next President of the Court of Appeal, hence we don’t see the reason why she is occupying the office in acting capacity for nearly two months now in the first place save for sinister motives.
“Now that Justice Monica Dongban-Mensem’s name has been forwarded to President Muhammadu Buhari by the National Judicial Council (NJC) for onward transmission to the Senate and subsequent confirmation as the President of the Court of Appeal (PCA), some other names are being bandied around in official quarters other than that of the most suitable and senior Justice of the Appeal Court, which is Justice Dongban-Mensem.
“This is a sad commentary on competence and due process. It will do the judiciary and the nation as a whole no good as gender and religion are never the yardstick for serving and progressing in the public service,” the Guild warned.
Recalled that the NJC had in a statement issued on Sunday by its director of Information, Soji Oye, said that the request for the nomination of Justice Dongban-Mensem formed part of the decisions taken at the recent virtual meeting of members of the council.
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