Justice Zainab Bulkachuwa; Have we all Moved On? [Updated: NBA Responds]

Days after Distinguished Senator Adamu Bulkachuwa openly and brazenly boasted of how he influenced court judgments in favour of himself and in favour of his friends and colleague using his wife who was the president of the court of appeal, Justice Zainab Bulkachuwa, the senator is yet to be invited to substantiate his claims and the retired justice is yet to be invited by the National Judicial Council to deny or support her husband’s claim. 

For the husband of someone who was the “number one judge” (president) of the number two court (court of appeal) in the land up until her retirement in 2020 to make such allegations and we are all moving on as if we didn’t hear what we heard is beyond my comprehension.

I am not surprised because it is a classic Nigeria. Things like this go unpunished, it will be forgotten soon and we will all move on. Remember that staff in the office of the immediate past president of Body of Benchers, Wole Olanipenkun SAN, also openly boasted how her boss is the number one lawyer in Nigeria and very close to judges and justices and that he uses his influence to influence the outcome of judgments in his favour and in the favour of his client. Despite the calls and loud cries from people, the president then refused to step down and submit himself for investigation and before a disciplinary panel until it all blew over and he successfully completed his tenure as the chairman of the body of benchers, handed over and everyone moved on as if nothing happened. 

If my knowledge serves my right, the retired justice in question is also a member of the body of benchers, the number one body of lawyers in Nigeria. It is the body that admit new members (lawyers) into the legal profession, discipline airing lawyers and also acknowledge outstanding lawyers by offering them the SANship title. For a woman who is facing this allegation to be a member of such a body even after her retirement as a justice then the judicial arm of government in Nigeria is inside a deep blue sea. 

I have been expecting at least a newsletter from the office of the retired justice disclaiming the statement of her husband but because we are in an animal kingdom, they are expecting it to blow over and everyone moves on to another more heartbreaking news. 

Remember that during the 2019 presidential election petition period in which the retired justice was still the president of the court of appeal or in layman speaking, “the number one justice of the court of appeal”, it was rumoured that the justice was given a whopping sum N6B as a bribe to influence the outcome of the election petition tribunal judgment. The retired justice blatantly denied this accusation; but well, the statement of her husband earlier this week has proven otherwise; that there might likely be some atom of truth in the bribery allegation made against the retired Honorable justice. 

It is expected of the National Judicial Council to conduct a thorough review of every case that the retired justice ever sat upon and of every judgment the retired justice ever delivered, especially politically motivated cases, it is possible that numerous of those cases are the ones her husband “encroached on her rights and influenced the outcome of the judgment”.

If we have a proactive Nigeria Bar Association, this is the time to press the neck of the National Judicial Council to invite the retired Justice and review her cases. This should not be a difficult task for the Nigerian Bar Association if they really want to rise to the occasion because the president of the NBA, the immediate past president, and some other officials of the NBA are all members of the NJC.

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 a… pic.twitter.com/yYg35eS3P0

— Ndubuisi Ekekwe (@ndekekwe) June 12, 2023

Editor’s Note: THe NIGERIAN BAR ASSOCIATION Responds

READ NBA’S STATEMENT IN FULL

STATEMENT BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE NIGERIAN BAR ASSOCIATION, MR YAKUBU CHONOKO MAIKYAU, OON, SAN, ON THE COMMENTS BY SENATOR ADAMU MUHAMMAD BULKACHUWA ON THE FLOOR OF THE SENATE ON MONDAY, 12 JUNE 2023

14 June 2023

My attention was drawn to a viral video clip on the social media, of the comments made by Senator Adamu Muhammad Bulkachuwa on the floor of the Senate on Monday, 12 June 2023, at the valedictory session of the Senate of the 9th Assembly, before he was interrupted and stopped by the then Senate President Ahmed Lawan. Senator Bulkachuwa, in his remarks, amongst other things, referred to “confidential dealings” he had had with some of his colleagues in the Senate, and went on to say: “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…

In his concluding remarks, he said: “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…”

All these were amidst several interjections by the Senate President. Probably, if the Senate President had not interrupted Senator Bulkachuwa, he would have made more vital/useful revelations that would have provided specific details of the “confidential dealings of one sort or the other” he allegedly had with some of his colleagues in which according to him, “I did my best and in most cases I succeeded”. Notwithstanding however, given the office held by his wife which he clearly mentioned in his remarks, no one would be left in doubt as to the sort of help he either succeeded or did not succeed in securing for his colleagues, with whom he had since become good friends and still remain good friends. These colleagues, according to him, only “thanked me for what I have done with words of mouth, that was all.”

The statements were clearly admissions by the Senator, that he did attempt to, and/or actually perverted the course of justice/interfered with due administration of justice, which makes him liable to be investigated and prosecuted even on his admission. That this came with a huge negative impact on the integrity and the independence of the Judiciary can only be an understatement.

At the 102nd meeting of the National Judicial Council (NJC) held today, 14 June 2023, I took the liberty of my membership of the Council to complain about the rather disgusting and despicable conduct of Senator Bulkachuwa, which was a direct attack on the integrity of the Judiciary. The NJC condemned the actions of the Senator in the strongest terms as an affront on the integrity and independence of the Judiciary. I made it clear to the Council that, while the NBA will at all times rise to the defence of the honour, integrity and independence of the judiciary, we shall not hesitate to take on anyone, either within or outside the legal profession, who takes steps or makes statements that are capable of undermining the independence of the judiciary and the impartiality judicial processes.

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 Ahmad Muhammad Bulkachuwa for interrogation and proceed to prosecute him accordingly. I shall write 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.

Yakubu Chonoko Maikyau, OON, SAN

PRESIDENT