Lawan Didn’t Allow Me Finish My Thought, Bulkachuwa Clarifies Remarks About Wife

John Shiklam in Kaduna

The senator who represented Bauchi North in the ninth National Assembly, Adamu Bulkachuwa, has denied that he influenced the decisions of his wife, Justice Zainab Bulkachuwa, while she was the President of the Court of Appeal.

Before he was interrupted by the former Senate President Ahmad, Bulkachuwa, had on the floor of the Senate at the valedictory session, claimed that he used his position to ask favour for his colleagues from his wife.

“I look at faces in this chamber who have come to me and sought 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.

But in his interview with BBC Hausa, Bulkachuwa said his words were misrepresented, adding that the former President of the Senate 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 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 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 the former President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Olisa Agbakoba (SAN), calling for the arrest of the former lawmaker.

“Senator Bulkachuwa’s statement at the valedictory of the ninth 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 three courts. Senator Bulkachuwa seems to suggest why,” Agbakoba had said in a statement.