NBA Seeks Prosecution Of Bulkachuwa Over ‘Judicial Favour For Senators’ Comment

The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has described the public confession of a member of the 9th Senate, Senator Adamu Bulkachuwa, on how he influenced the decisions of his wife, Justice Zainab Bulkachuwa, while she was the President of the Court of Appeal, as shocking.

The NBA president, Mr Yakubu Maikyau, said in a statement on Wednesday that he watched the video clip of Senator Bulkachuwa’s confession at the 9th Senate’s valedictory session, which held on Saturday “with utter shock and disgust”.

Maikyau, who noted that the National Judicial Council (NJC) has similarly condemned Senator Bulkachuwa’s conduct at its meeting on Wednesday, called for the investigation and prosecution of the former federal lawmaker, vowing that “the NBA will at all times rise to the defence of the honour, integrity and independence of the judiciary.

“It is in this regard that I call on the Inspector General of Police (IGP) and the Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), to immediately invite Senator Muhammad Adamu Bulkachuwa for interrogation and proceed to prosecute him accordingly,” Mr Maikyau, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) stated.

He said he would follow up his call with “a letter to both the IGP and the ICPC Chairman in this respect

“We reiterate our commitment to the maintenance and defence of the integrity and independence of the Judiciary in Nigeria, within the bounds of the law, irrespective of the personalities involved.”

NBA’s reaction came on Wednesday, four days after Senator Bulkachuwa, who represented Bauchi North, confessed during the valedictory session of the 9th Senate, which was held on Saturday.

The video clip, which emerged on the Internet on Monday, showed Bulkachuwa, who failed to secure a re-election to the Senate, saying to his colleagues, “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.”