By Charles Adingupu
As pressure continue to mount for the immediate arrest and prosecution of the lawmaker representing Bauchi North in the 9th Senate, Senator Adamu Bulkachuwa over his remarks that he prevailed on his wife, Justice Zainab Bulkachuwa, while President of the Appeal Court, to influence court Judgements in favour of his colleagues the lawmaker has denied all such allegations.
Senator Bulkachuwa has now debunked the accusations that he interfered with his wife’s job as President of the Court of Appeal.
Justice Zainab Bulkachuwa served as President the Court of Appeal from 2014 to 2020.
It would be recalled that while addressing the 9th Senate during its valedictory session, Bulkachuwa said, “I look at faces in this chamber who have come to me and sought for my help when my wife was the President of the Court of Appeal.”
Senator Bulkachuwa came under criticism when he openly said that he used his position as husband to the President of the Appeal Court to solicit favours on behalf of his friends while she was in office.
Attempts by the then Senate President, Ahmed Lawan to call him to order, insisting that it was a dangerous path to tread was politely ignored by the 83 years old lawmaker, Bulkachuwa.
The disclosure by the lawmaker, triggered reactions from the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), and other Human Rights organizations and stakeholders of the Nigerian project calling for his prosecution and subsequent arrest.
However, speaking with BBC Hausa, the former senator said Lawan did not allow him to finish his thoughts.
“Well, I was not even allowed to finish up, I just began by thanking her. She tolerated me, I am in politics while she was in law.
“The favours I solicited from her, it was her nature to help people. I didn’t even explain what kind of help I was referring to, every employee whether lawyer, engineer or doctor can render assistance in their work. Assistance doesn’t mean that you contravene the law or do something wrong,” he said.
According to Bulkachuwa, there is no truth in the allegations levelled against him of interfering with his wife’s job.
“I have never suggested to her how to do things, how to go about her cases or how to run her office. We don’t even discuss such things at home.”
Meanwhile, the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has called on the Inspector General of Police (IGP) and the Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to immediately invite Bulkachuwa for interrogation and proceed to prosecute him accordingly.
In a statement on Wednesday, the NBA President Yakubu Maikyau, noted that the viral video clip of the comments made by the senator were clearly admissions that he did attempt to and or actually perverted the course of justice/interfered with due administration of justice, which makes him liable to be investigated and prosecuted even on his admission.
The association also said “that this came with a huge negative impact on the integrity and the independence of the Judiciary can only be an understatement”.
