Former President of the Court of Appeal, Zainab Bulkachuwa, has broken her silence on her husband’s recent confession of compromising her decisions to the advantage of his senator colleagues while she was in office.
Adamu Bulkachuwa, as senator representing Bauchi North, had spoken during the 10 June valedictory session of the outgone 9th Senate, boasting about infringing on his wife’s “freedom and independence” while she served as president of the appellate court.
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He bragged that he aided his colleagues in the Senate to obtain favour from his wife, who was superintending over the Court of Appeal that served as the final arbiter on appeals concerning electoral disputes in parliamentary elections in Nigeria.
“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,” said Mr Bulkachuwa, 83, during the senate’s proceedings.
Mr Bulkachuwa, in a bid to downplay the backlash of his damning confession, would later say his comment was taken out of context because the then Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, did not allow him to complete his thoughts.
He said had he had the opportunity to express himself as he wished, he would have shown there was nothing unethical about the help he obtained from his wife.
Mrs Bulkachuwa, the hardest hit by her husband’s comments, which also rubbed off badly on the crisis-ridden integrity of the Nigerian judiciary, denied any wrongdoing.
In a three-paragraph statement dated 17 June but released early Monday, Mrs Bulkachuwa said she never at any time compromised her oath of office, contrary to her husband’s comments suggesting that she acted unethically on many occasions.
The former President of the Court of Appeal, with a judicial career spanning four decades, said justices under her leadership could bear her witness that she never interfered with their independence.
“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,” she stated in the statement she signed personally.