Former President of the Court of Appeal, Zainab Bulkachuwa has said she never favoured any party in her judgments throughout her judicial career.
While reacting to the deluge of backlash from her husband’s statement, confessing that he used his position to gain some favour for his colleagues, Justice Bulkachuwa said she never compromised her oath of office in the judicial system.
“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”, she said.
She disclosed that her decisions were always based on the facts, the law, her conscience and oath of office.
“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 added.
Credible News reports that Senator Bulkachuwa, an All Progressives Congress senator between June 2015 and June 2023, during the valedictory session of the 9th Senate on June 10 recounted how he, on different occasions, influenced his wife’s decisions to the advantage of many of his colleagues in the Senate.
“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’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 said.
Meanwhile, in an interview with BBC Hausa, Bulkachuwa explained that his words were misrepresented, adding that it was the former President of the Senate who interrupted him while he was explaining.
The ex-senator 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”.
He further clarified that in his personal relationship with his wife, he has never imposed upon her professional autonomy or attempted to influence her judgement in handling cases or running her office, adding that such matters are not even discussed in their home.
