A disturbing video has emerged of Senator Adamu Muhammad Bulkachuwa, the current Senator representing Bauchi North Senatorial district, bragging about how he influenced the decision of his wife, Justice Zainab Adamu Bulkachuwa, a retired President of the Federal Court of Appeal.
Justice Bulkachuwa is the first female to be the President of the Nigerian Court of Appeal. She bowed out of the bench after clocking the statutory retirement age of 70 years for justices of the Appeal Court in 2020.
A trending video showed that the statement was made reportedly during the valedictory session of the Senate on Saturday.
Bulkachuwa, in addressing the Senate during the session, was full of appreciations, “particularly my wife, whose freedom and independence I encroached upon when she was in office. And she has been very tolerant and accepted my encroachment and extended her help to my colleagues.”
However, Bulkachuwa was interrupted by the Senate President, Ahmed Lawan, who seemed unsettled by the statement.
Lawan told him: “I don’t think this is a good idea going towards this direction.”
Professor Ndubuisi Ekekwe, who shared the video on his verified Twitter handle on Monday, said: “We must give Senator Bulkachuwa a national award as a whistleblower of the month.”
Ekekwe further added that he hoped that Justice Zainab Bulkachuwa would issue a Press Statement on details of how she was influenced by the husband.
According to Ekekwe: “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 whistleblower of the month. Hope retired Justice Zainab Bulkachuwa will give a press release on how she was influenced! What a nation.”
When Global Upfront Newspapers (GUN) shared the video with a lawyer based in Aba, Abia State, Barrister Ebere Uzoatu, said: “This country is finished. The Judiciary is in tatters. The Bulkachuwa of a man is bereft of COMMON SENSE to have disgraced the wife like this in the public space.”