Elisha Abo, the former senator representing Adamawa North, has levelled accusations against the President of the Court of Appeal, Monica Dongban-Mensen, claiming that the court has become a “cash and carry point” influenced by bribery.
Mr. Abo, a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), spoke during a press conference in Abuja, insisting that the Court of Appeal, under Ms. Dongban-Mensen, operates as a business entity where judgments are influenced by the highest bidders, calling some judges “judicial bandits.”
He contested the court’s ruling that declared his opponent, Amos Yohanna of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), as the validly elected senator, accusing the court of non-compliance with the Electoral Act.
Mr. Abo accused Ms. Dongban-Mensen of transforming the Court of Appeal into a place where money allegedly dictates outcomes, stating, “There has never been a time in the history of the Court of Appeal that the court has become a cash and carry point, a POS point like now.”
“I screened you as a senator in 2020. Your CV was forwarded to us. We screened you despite all the hullabaloo against your nomination, we looked at you based on the merits before us and we confirmed you. Did I take money from you, did I ask you for money before I screened you? I could have objected,” he added.
During the press conference, he urged President Bola Tinubu to take decisive action and requested the President and the National Judicial Commission not to elevate Justice Chioma Nwosu-Iheme to the Supreme Court, emphasizing that such a promotion would not serve the country’s best interests.
Recall that Justice Iheme and other eleven had been screened for promotion to the apex court.
“The kernel of my submission at this press conference is that the appointment of Justice Chioma Nwosu-Iheme to the Supreme Court is not good for our judicial system and dispensation of justice.
“For required punishment and deterrence, I have filed petitions against Justice Chioma Nwosu-Iheme, Justice Olabode Adegbehingbe and Justice Muhammad Ibrahim Sirajo to the National Judicial Council and Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) over their judgement in the electoral case between Reverend Amos Kumai of the PDP and me,” Mr Abo said.
