The main opposition candidate in the February presidential election, Atiku Abubakar, has explained his decision to request that the President of the Court of Appeal, Zainab Bulkachuwa, withdraws from the presidential election petition tribunal.
Mr Abubakar and his party, PDP, are challenging the victory of President Muhammadu Buhari in the election. They asked Mrs Bulkachuwa to withdraw from the five-member panel she headed. They based their demand on Mrs Bulkachuwa’s relationship with an APC leader. Her husband is a Bauchi senator-elect on the APC platform.
On Wednesday, the tribunal ruled against Mr Abubakar and the PDP. It said both parties could not prove the possibility of bias against the judge and that Mrs Bulkachuwa’s husband was not a party to the suit.
Despite the ruling of the tribunal, however, Mrs Bulkachuwa refused herself from the panel on ‘personal grounds.’
In his statement sent to our source early on Thursday, Mr Abubakar said his “legal team’s objection was not a reflection on Justice Bulkachuwa’s character or competence.”
“As a matter of fact, I have great respect for her, being a pioneer and advocate for gender equality and female empowerment,” he said.
