Calls for Clarity as President of the Appeal Court Is Urged to Address Alleged Ties with APC and Consider Suspension

Peace and Good Governance Advocates (PEGGA) has urged the President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Monica Dongban-Mensem, to dismiss the implications raised by Hon Yusuf Gagdi, a member of the House of Representatives. Gagdi had suggested in a widely circulated video that the All Progressives Congress (APC) wields significant influence in the judiciary to secure judgments in its favor.

In the viral video, Gagdi, representing Pankshin/Kanke/Kanam federal constituency, claimed that both the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the APC would display their connections at the Appeal Court and Supreme Court. PEGGA, through its national coordinator Mani Imman, released a statement in Jos, alleging that Gagdi's bold assertions implied that the APC had a stronghold over the judiciary in Plateau State.

Imman called on Justice Dongban-Mensem to demonstrate the independence of the appellate court from any political influence, especially given recent negative publicity surrounding contradictory judgments in Plateau State. Expressing concern for the court's reputation, PEGGA appealed to the President of the Court of Appeal to address the issue of pre-election matters, which were initially deemed beyond the scope of election arbitration by the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court but are now being used against Plateau PDP.

The statement concluded by urging Justice Dongban-Mensem not to let her reputation be tarnished by the self-serving agendas of politicians attempting to disrupt peace on the Plateau and in her ancestral land.