Adamu Bulkachuwa, Senator who represented Bauchi North in the 9th Assembly, has denied that he influenced the decisions of his wife, Zainab Bulkachuwa, while she was the President of the Court of Appeal.
Bulkachuwa on the floor of the Senate at the valedictory session of the 9th Assembly, before he was interrupted by the former Senate President Ahmad Lawan, had claimed that he used his position to ask favour for his colleagues from his wife.
“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…” he had said, before Lawan cut in.
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But in his interview with BBC Hausa, Bulkachuwa said his words were misrepresented, adding that it was the former President of the Senate who 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 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.”
Bulkachuwa’s comment had elicited outrage, with Olisa Agbakoba, former President of the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA), calling for the arrest of the former lawmaker.
“Senator Bulkachuwa’s statement at the valedictory of the 9th Senate is a monumental disgrace for our institutions. This man deserves to be taken up immediately by the authorities. It is a blight on my confidence in our systems.”
“We lost in 3 courts. Senator Bulkachuwa seems to suggest why.” Agbakoba had said in a statement.
