Nigerian President, Muhammadu Buhari, has approved the appointment of Justice Monica Bolna’an Dongban-Mensem as the Acting President of the Court of Appeal, according to a State House statement on Thursday.
The appointment is for an initial period of three (3) months, with effect from March 6, 2020, when the incumbent President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Zainab Bulkachuwa, CFR, will statutorily retire from service after attaining the statutory age of seventy.
“Justice Mensem, who is the next most senior Justice of the Court of Appeal, will be acting pending when a substantive appointment to the position of the President of the Court of Appeal may be made by President Buhari subject to the confirmation of the Senate.
Buhari’s media aide, Garba Shehu, said in the statement that, “The President’s approval of the appointment of Justice Mensem, followed the recommendation of the Chief Justice of Nigeria in line with the provisions of Section 238(4) & (5) of the 1999 Constitution as amended.”
Before getting to this point, the National Judicial Council (NJC) may have played its role by recommending Justice Dongban Mensem to the president.