Elisha Abbo, a former senator from Adamawa North, has been given a deadline to prove his claims of bribery against Justice Monica Dongban-Mensem, the president of the Court of Appeal, or risk legal action.
Alternatively, Abbo was ordered to express regret for his accusations of bribery against Justice Chioma Iheme, the President of the Appeal Court, and the judiciary as a whole.
Uwemedimo Nwoko, a former Attorney General of Akwa Ibom State and Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), recommended that the former senator either prepare for legal action to prove his bribery charges or apologize for making unfounded accusations.
Nwokeoma, a life bencher, stated in a statement on behalf of the Court of Appeal President and other individuals charged with accepting bribes while performing their official duties that the former lawmaker has not provided any proof to support his claims of bribery against the judiciary.
In a news conference on February 1st, Abbo accused the President of the Court of Appeal and other individuals of accepting bribes in connection with the ruling that resulted in his removal from the Senate.
In response to the bribery accusations, Nwokeoma issued a statement asserting that the courts and its officials are immune to intimidation or criminal blackmail of any kind.
The statement said in part, “On February 1, 2024, Senator Elisha Abbo made extremely outrageous and unfounded accusations against the Honorable Justice Monica Dongban-Mensem, the Honorable Justice Chioma Iheme Nwosu (a Justice of the Supreme Court designate), Honorable Judges of the various Tribunals and Courts, and Honorable Justices of the Court of Appeal in a widely publicized press conference.
“Senator Abbo called the President of the Court of Appeal a cash-and-carry judge during his careless and unethical press briefing. He claimed that judges are increasingly sending their kids and operatives to solicit bribes.
It is essential to observe at this point that Senator Abbo has not yet shown a single shred of proof to support his serious accusations.
“We vehemently object to the criminal blackmail that individuals such as Senator Abbo have purposefully created and calculated to cast doubt on the honesty and standing of our esteemed and diligent judges and justices.
“May I remind Senator Abbo that he publicly accused Senate President Distinguished Senator Godswill Akpabio, CON, of being the mastermind behind his tragedy when he lost the case that resulted in his removal from office.
“He quickly got down on his knees, sincerely apologized to Senator Akpabio, and withdrew the accusations when he was given the duty of proving the charge.
It is disheartening and regrettable that a senator who gained notoriety for his inappropriate behavior at an Abuja sex toy shop would have the audacity and criminal courage to disparage, denigrate, and level such egregious accusations against our justice system just because he was unsuccessful in a case.
“I would like to state unequivocally that someone with Senator Abbo’s moral credentials and severe character deficiencies is morally repugnant, legally culpable, and completely unacceptable to engage in such character assassination against our Justices who have selflessly worked to earn their good reputations over the years.
“We need to put an end to this kind of foolishness and unwarranted criticism of our judicial officers and the judiciary.
“I challenge Senator Abbo to either immediately provide credible evidence to support his claims or prepare to face legal repercussions.”
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