Alex Enumah in Abuja
A former Senator, Elisha Abbo may soon be faced with a legal action for accusing the President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Monica Dongban- Mensem and some justices of receiving bribe from politicians to pervert the course of justice during the just concluded 2023 general election petition cases.
The senator who represented Adamawa North in the ninth Senate, however has the choice to prove his allegations or tender an unreserved apology directly to the appeal court president.
Abbo had shortly after his sack by the appellate court accused the Appeal Court President, Chairman of the three-member panel of the Court of Appeal, Justice Chioma Iheme and the entire judiciary of receiving bribe to nullify the judgment of the Adamawa House of Assembly Election Petition that earlier affirmed his election as Senator representing Adamawa North Senatorial District.
But months after he made the allegations, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria and former Attorney General of Akwa Ibom State, Uwemedimo Nwoko, had threatened to sue him unless he substantiated his allegation or apologise over his unguarded utterances.
In a statement issued on behalf of the Court of Appeal President and others accused of taking bribes in the discharge of their judicial duties, the former Akwa Ibom AG, who is also a life bencher noted that the former lawmaker has not produced any evidence to substantiate his allegations of bribery against the judiciary.
According to the senior lawyer, the judiciary and its officers can not be intimidated or subjected to any form of criminal blackmail to impugn on its integrity.
The statement read in part: “Senator Abbo in his reckless and unconscionable press briefing described the President of the Court of Appeal as a cash-and-carry Judge. He alleged that judges now send their children and agents to go around asking for bribes.
“It is instructive to note at this stage that up till this moment Senator Abbo has not produced any iota of evidence to substantiate his weighty allegations.
“We take very strong exceptions to the criminal blackmail deliberately fabricated and calculated to impugn on the integrity and reputation of our revered and hardworking Judges and Justices by characters like Senator Abbo.”
He said it was totally unacceptable, morally reprehensible and legally culpable for a person with Abbo’s moral credentials and profound deficits in character content to embark on such character assassination against the justices who have sacrificially built their good reputations over the years.
