Nigerians from all walks of life have been reacting to a viral video of retired Senator Ahmed Muhammad Bulkachuwa bragging about how he influenced the judgements of his wife, Justice Zainab Bulkachuwa (Rtd. ), when she was the president of the Court of Appeal.
In a valedictory service for outgoing senators of the 9th National Assembly, chaired by Ahmed Lawan, Senate President, on Monday, Senator Bulkachuwa, representing Bauchi North senatorial district, gave a rather disturbing revelation about how he used his influence to prevail over his wife, Rtd. Justice Bulkachuwa, to give judgement in his favour or those that serve the interests of his friends.
In the video, Senator Bulkachuwa, who retires from the Senate after clocking the mandatory age of 70, was bragging about how he dictated judgements for his wife, something that he was proud of.
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The video of his confession has since gone viral on Twitter, gathering as many as 5,000 likes, 7,300 retweets, and 1,400 comments.
Justice Bulkachuwa (Rtd.), the first female president of the Court of Appeal, played an integral role in choosing members of the election tribunal to handle post-election cases.
“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,” Senator Bulkachuwa said.
However, he was stopped by the outgoing Senate President, who urged him not to continue with such a revelation.
Following such an explosive revelation of domestic interference in matters of judicial importance, many questioned the independence, integrity, and quality of judgements given by most of our judges.
This revelation has raised questions of what to expect from the members of the Presidential Election Tribunal and other election tribunals in the country handling post-election matters, some concerned Nigerians said.
Nefertiti who has more than 530,000 followers on Twitter, tweeted her disappointment over the revelation and concluded saying that Sen. Bulkachuwa’s statement was the main reason why politicians are so brazen in thier evil deeds.
“In a nation where a governor who came a distant 4th became No 1. And someone who never participated in any primary returned to the Senate. When they say GO TO COURT, this is precisely what they mean. Justice Zainab Bulkachuwa is the one you know. How about others still presiding?” She tweeted.
Ndubuisi Ekekwe, reacting on Twitter, said it was “unbelievable that a senator whose wife was the president of the court of appeal could brag how he influenced her decisions. He embarrassed the Senate President by revealing the open truth about Nigeria’s judiciary. We must give Senator Bulkachuwa a national award as whistleblower of the month. Hope retired Justice Zainab Bulkachuwa will give a press release on how she was influenced! What a nation.”
Another disappointed individual, Fr. James A (Faith-Chat Platform), reacting to this revelation on Twitter, said, “Impunity has become the norm in Nigeria. He doesn’t see anything wrong because, to him, it’s normal.”
“In a sane clime, Rtd. Justice Bulkachuwa would have been investigated, and all her judgements as a judge would have been looked into,” Mr. Bazz, another disappointed individual, twitted after watching the video clip.
UGO_CHINYERE 1 of Ohalia, responding through his official handle, @derealeMorgan, said rather sarcastically that “Lawal is a beneficiary,” which is why he asked that his mic be put off.
Also responding to this video was Dr. Great Oracle, who tweeted that, “having watched and listened to this man, it is high time a public inquiry is set up to look into this clear abuse of discretion standard by a judicial officer who was under oath. This could be the tip of the iceberg.”
An overwhelmingly large number of respondents on Twitter have not only condemned Rtd. Justice Bulkachuwa for giving out judgements influenced by her husband but also demanded a thorough cleansing be carried out on the judiciary, as this has exposed the level of rot in the Nigerian judiciary.
