The recent confession by Senator Adamu Bulkachuwa that he influenced the decisions of his wife and former President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Zainab Bulkachuwa, in favour of his friends while in office, has underscored the rot in the judiciary. The Senator, who represented Bauchi North in the 9th Senate made the confession on the floor of the Red Chamber during its valedictory session. He 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…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…”

The Senator was cut short of completing his confession by the then Senate President, Ahmad Lawan. Following criticisms that trailed his comments, Bulkachuwa denied having any undue influence on his wife in the course of discharging her duties. He claimed that he was interrupted by Lawan and was not allowed to conclude his remarks. Bulkachuwa, who spoke in an interview with BBC Hausa Service, said his words were misrepresented.

According to him, “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 a 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 personal 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,” the Senator further explained.

At the same time, the retired jurist has dissociated herself from the comments attributed to her husband, stressing that in her years of service, she never compromised her position for anybody and on any ground. Justice Bulkachuwa stated that as President of the Court of Appeal, her colleagues could attest to the fact that she never interfered with the independence of any of the justices of the Court in the discharge of their judicial functions.

According to her, throughout her forty years on the bench, she did not influence any decision, insisting that her decisions were always based on facts, laws, conscience and the oath of office she took. “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,” Bulkachuwa stated.

Senator Bulkachuwa’s confession has attracted reactions across the country, with many describing it as a dent on the integrity of the judiciary. The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has condemned it and urged the Inspector General of Police and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to prosecute the Senator.

It is good that the Nigerian Judicial Council (NJC) is contemplating investigating the matter, especially cases involving politically exposed persons under Justice Zainab Bulkachuwa, following her husband’s disturbing revelation. It is also a pointer to the endemic corruption in the nation’s judiciary. This is the right time to cleanse the judiciary and rid it of unscrupulous judicial officers. As one of the arms of the government and the last hope of the common man, our judicial officials, including judges, must like Caesar’s wife, be above board in the discharge of their duties. We say this bearing in mind that a compromised judiciary is capable of truncating our nascent democracy. If the judiciary is tainted, the citizens will lose confidence in its judgements.

The matter should be thoroughly probed and the findings made public. On no account should the case be swept under the carpet. (Daily Sun)

Update news