Four civil society organisations have urged the National Judicial Council to investigate Appeal Court president Monica Dongban-Mensem and the judges involved in the Plateau State election case.
The justices are Oluwayemisi Williams-Dawodu, Abdulaziz Waziri, and Okon Abang, who are all Court of Appeal justices.
At the appeal court, no fewer than 16 lawmakers who ran for the Peoples Democratic Party in the state’s 2023 elections were dismissed.
The court based its ruling on the PDP’s inability to comply with an injunction mandating it to hold ward and local government congresses before selecting candidates for various elective positions.
The governor of the state, Caleb Muftwang, was sacked for the same reason until he was reinstated by the Supreme Court last Friday.
In a petition seen by Chronicle NG on Friday, the CSOs, under the auspices of the ‘Open Justice Alliance,’ stated that the justices’ conduct violated recognised legal standards.
“The decisions handed down by the Court of Appeal, led by the aforementioned justices, which resulted in the removal of over 16 candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party who participated in the 2023 polls in Plateau State is particularly disconcerting as it contradicts established legal principles, including the non-justiciability of issues related to the nomination of political party candidates, as established in previous Supreme Court decisions.
“In light of these concerns, the Open Justice Alliance demands an immediate and thorough investigation into the actions of the justices involved. The alliance seeks a determination of the propriety of their conduct and calls for appropriate sanctions if culpability is established.” the petition partly reads,
![Rev. Fr. Anthony Odiong, a US-based Nigerian Louisiana Catholic priest, was arrested in Florida on Tuesday for possessing child pornography, according to law authorities. The suspect is reportedly accused of many other cases of sexual assault. The Waco, Texas, Police Department announced in a Facebook post on Tuesday that officers detained Father Anthony Odiong in Ave Maria, Florida, with assistance from the United States Marshals Service. Waco police announced in March that they had received "credible information" about a sexual assault allegedly committed by Odiong in Texas in 2012. “During the subsequent investigation, a case of possession of child pornography was uncovered,” the police said. The priest was apprehended in Florida by the Caribbean Regional Fugitive Task Force. The Waco Police Department said that he will be extradited to Texas. Odiong had previously served in the Archdiocese of New Orleans before being removed as priest in December of last year due to controversy over homilies in which he claimed, among other things, that the Catholic Church was being taken over by "the gays." At the time, the priest was also accused of abusive behaviour; a Louisiana lady claimed in U.S. bankruptcy court that Odiong had committed both financial and sexual abuse against her. Prior to joining the New Orleans Archdiocese, Odiong served in at least two Texas parishes. On Tuesday, Waco police stated that during their sexual assault investigation, "the presence of other survivors was revealed." “Multiple women have come forward to tell similar experiences as the sexual assault survivor who reported the initial allegation,” the police department said. “Survivors’ experiences ranged from sexual assault and indecent assault, more commonly recognised as groping, and financial abuse, with some survivors experiencing every element of Anthony Odiong’s manipulation.” The police said they “believe there may be more survivors, and we wish to speak with anyone who [has] had similar encounters” with the priest. The Archdiocese of New Orleans issued a brief news release on Tuesday noting Odiong's arrest in Florida. The archdiocese “encourages anyone with any information to contact law enforcement,” the release said.](https://chronicle.ng/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/ezgif-6-4730550ede-450x300.jpg "Odiong: US-based Nigerian Catholic priest convicted over sexual assault")
