The Presidency today said President Muhammadu Buhari has not sent the name of Justice Monica Bolna’an Dongban-Mensem to the Senate for confirmation as President, Court of Appeal because security and law enforcement agencies are still scrutinising her.
Garba Shehu, senior special assistant to the president on media and publicity, made this clarification in a statement to debunk insinuations that President Buhari is not comfortable with Dongban-Mensem because she is a Christian from the minority area of Northern Nigeria.
His statement reads:
“In making judicial and other appointments, President Buhari is not a rubber stamp.
“In making appointments upon the recommendations of other arms or agencies of the government, the President is not a rubber stamp that will mechanistically sign off on nominees that come before him.
“The President has a duty to ensure that all such appointments meet the requirements of the constitution and protecting the supreme law of the land in this regard, he has an obligation to allow law enforcement and security agencies to do their work.
“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.”