It is quite disturbing to watch the latest attempt of former Senator Adamu Bulkachuwa’s justice delaying tactic of running to seek an order of court to restrain the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Offences Commission (ICPC) from inviting and investigating him for his confessions – at the valedictory session of the Ninth Senate on June 10 – of aiding the subversion of the democratic will of Nigerians through his wife, a former President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Zainab Bulkachuwa, who sat on election petitions that now appear tainted in their discharge of ‘justice’.
The disclosure of the 83-year old has brought much disrepute to both the judiciary and the upper legislative chamber, which he was a member of until recent, and can be considered as a threat to national security.
The open and shameful confession of the former senator representing Bauchi North Senatorial district between 2019 and 2023, whereby he stated in the public glare of the Senate chambers that, “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” (even as the then Senate President Ahmad Lawan had sought to stop him from further exposure), has not only desecrated the hallowed chambers of the legislature but brought opprobrium to the judiciary, which can only be remedied by an independent and impartial investigation by the anti-corruption agency under whose jurisdiction his confessed crime falls.
Although one recognises and concedes that his wife, who headed President of the Court of Appeal between 2014 and 2020, has come out to deny the allegations, yet as an advocate and defender of public integrity and trust, I believe that the independent investigation of this potentially treasonable crime, as being canvassed, is what can fully exonerate her and restore the image of the judiciary and our democracy, which have been impugned by the confession of the former federal lawmaker.
One is also not unaware of the recant of ex-Senator Adamu Bulkachuwa that his comment was taken out of context because the then Senate President did not allow him to complete his speech. Even, as one can concede the right to this back and forth to the ex-Senator, still many insist that only an independent investigation can exonerate him and his wife, and absolve them from wrong-doing.
Interestingly, the antecedents of Senator Adamu Bulkachuwa makes it imperative for us all to be resolute in demanding his investigation over this matter, which is crucial to unearthing the truth and restoring the image of our institutions and democracy. We can disturbingly recollect that in the run-up to the 2019 general elections, particularly the APC senatorial primaries in Bauchi North, and as witnessed by INEC, one of the aspirants, Usman Tuggar polled 71,508 to defeat Senator Bulkachuwa, who came second scoring just 16,680 votes. However, in what many described as highly shocking, the chairman of the primaries committee, Ahmed Mohammed announced the runner up, Bulkachuwa, as senatorial candidate of the party, instead of Tuggar, who had the highest number of votes. Thereafter, APC sent Bulkachuwa’s name to INEC as its candidate for that senatorial election.
Senator Bulkachuwa’s confession on the “help” rendered by his wife as President of the Court of Appeal to candidates at election tribunals can be gleaned from the comments of Mr Olisa Agbakoba (SAN), a former president of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) and counsel to Usman Tuggar, the observed winner of the APC Bauchi North senatorial district primary election, but who is alleged to have been cheated and replaced with Senator Bulkachuwa for that 2019 election, lamented thus in the aftermath of Bulkachuwa’s confession that, “It is a blight on my confidence in our systems.
I represented Usman Tuggar in relation to the disputed election between him and Senator Bulkachuwa for Bauchi North Senatorial seat. We lost in three courts…” Now the chicken appears to have come home to roost and we know better.
In the aftermath of his confession in the Senate on the 10th of June and following public indignation and outcry, the ICPC extended an invitation to Senator Bulkachuwa, who responded to this affirmatively through his counsel, however three days to the scheduled invitation, the Senator ran to a Federal High Court in Abuja, seeking to obtain an order of court barring the agency from inviting and investigating him. Hence, these about-turns of Senator Adamu Bulkachuwa is unbecoming and makes the necessity of his invitation and investigation more pertinent than ever.
This shifty attitude speaks volumes about the nature of Senator Adamu Bulkachuwa, making his conducts suspicious and a threat to national security. He deserves to be investigated and not allowed to evade justice by using the law to prevent himself from rendering account for his past conducts.
I am hereby calling on the ICPC to meet Senator Bulkachuwa in court to counter his prayers because according to our law, he does not have constitutional immunity from investigation by institutions saddled with that responsibility for such, not to talk of prosecution if he is found liable for violating the laws of the land.
I admonish the ICPC to remain focused and ensure that it is not distracted by this latest antic of former Senator Adamu Bulkachuwa in seeking to evade accountability.
***Ekujumi is the Executive Director of the Centre for Social and Economic Rights.*
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