The wife of Adamu Bulkachuwa, a senator who represented Bauchi North in the 9th Assembly, Justice Zainab Bulkachuwa, has come out to defend her judicial integrity.
Reacting to comments made by her husband that he used his position to influence and to ask for judicial favors for his colleagues from her, the former President of the Court of Appeal has come out to debunk his statement.
Sen. Bulkachuwa, during his valedictory speech on the floor of the Senate, said he influenced his wife’s decisions for his colleagues while she was the President of the Court of Appeal.
He said “I look at faces in this chamber whom have come to me and sought for my help when my wife was the President of the Court of Appeal, and I’m sure…
“And I must thank particularly, my wife, whose freedom and independence I encroached upon while she was in office, and she has been very tolerant and accepted my encroachment, and extended her help to my colleagues…”
Bulkachuwa’s comment had elicited outrage, with some calling for his wife’s arrest and prosecution.
However, Justice Bulkachuwa has stated that she never at any point compromised her oath of office to favour any party who appeared before her although her judicial career.
She said “My attention has been drawn to the trending video of what was said by my husband Senator Adamu M. Bulkachuwa. I want to state categorically that I never at any time compromised my oath of office to favour any party who appeared before me throughout my judicial career spanning 40 years of service to my country.
“My decisions were always based on the facts, the law and in accordance with my conscience and oath of office.
“Also, as President of the Court of Appeal, my fellow justices of the court can attest to the fact that I never interfered with the independence of any of the justices of the court in the discharge of their judicial functions.
Earlier, Bulkachuwa in an interview with BBC Hausa, stated that his words were misconstrued, adding that the former President of the Senate, Ahmed Lawan, interrupted him while he was explaining.
He said “Well, I was not even allowed to finish, I just started with some words like thanking her, saying she was patient with me as she was legal practitioner and I am a politician.
“I wanted to elaborate on the specific nature of the help she provided, as there exists a wide range of support that professionals in various fields, such as legal practitioners, doctors, or engineers, can offer in their respective roles.
“Note that this assistance does not involve any illegal or unethical activities. In my relationship with her, I have never imposed upon her professional autonomy or attempted to influence her judgment in handling cases or running her office. Such matters are not even discussed in our home”.
