A group, Peace and Good Governance Advocates (PEGGA), has called on politicians to leave the President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Monica Dongban-Mensem, out of the conflicting court judgments on election petitions in Plateau.
The group’s National Coordinator, Mani Imman, who made the call in a statement on Monday in Jos, expressed deep concern over recent media spotlight on Justice Dongban-Mensem.
Immam maintained that there was no direct relationship between the appeal court president and the controversial judgments in the state, adding that the manner her person had been smeared in many tribal and political social madia platforms was disheartening.
The coordinator, however, called on the appeal court president to put herself above all political or personal biases, given that the major political contenders remain citizens of the state.
“We are shocked that the person of the president of the court of appeal, Justice Monica Dongban-Mensem, is being brought into the political battle in Plateau.
“It is alleged that those who lost out in the main election are throwing up the person of the respected jurist into the melee. We call on them to desist as the interest of Plateau is above all.
“No one should push the state into unnecessary crisis just after a peaceful election; those who have issues with the election should use the instrumentality of the law to address their concerns.
“We, however, call on Justice Dongban-Mensem to put herself above political biases no matter the pressure from any quarter.
”We are praying for her to resist and to project justice on the Plateau in a way that she and her generations unborn will not regret causing any mayhem that will lead to the death of any citizen,” Immam prayed.
The coordinator also prayed that God, who made Dongban-Mensem the number one Justice of the appellate court, would protect her from being used as tool to destroy the peace that is currently in her state.