The Presidency has given reasons for the delay in confirming the appointment of Monica Dongban-Mensem as the President of the Court of Appeal.

The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Malam Garba Shehu, in a statement on Sunday said Dongban-Mensem is being screened by security agencies.

The PUNCH reports there were complaints after the president, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), directed that Dongban-Mensem should be in an acting capacity for another three months.

But Shehu said the president has a duty to ensure that such appointment meets the requirements of the constitution in protecting the supreme law of the land.

The statement read in part, “Don’t forget our recent experience with ministers who were signed off upon and turned out as having not undertaken the compulsory National Youth Service, just to give you an example.

“In the specific case of the Acting President of the Court of Appeal, Her Lordship Justice M.S. Dongban-Mensem, the statutory regulatory time of her acting period has not lapsed.
“This is not about ethnicity or religion. It is about security and law enforcement agencies being allowed to complete their work. Nobody should seek to stampede the President in carrying out his constitutional duty in this respect.

“The president had not been a rubber stamp dealing with these matters before and is not prepared to be one at this time.

“Let all allow the system to do what is right.’’

PUNCH NEWS