During the Senate valedictory session on Saturday, a former Nigerian senator, Adamu Bulkachuwa, confessed to influencing the decisions of his wife, Zainab, while she was serving as a judge and President of the Court of Appeal.
Bulkachuwa, who represented Bauchi North senatorial district in the 9th Senate, confirmed infringing on his wife’s “freedom and independence” as a judicial officer.
Zainab presided over the 2007 Kebbi and Sokoto governorship elections petition tribunal.
She also presided over the suit in which Timipre Sylva, former governor of Bayelsa, challenged the nomination of Seriake Dickson, an ex-governor of the state, as the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
“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,” the former lawmaker had said.
The confession however serves as a validation of a Wikileaks publication on US diplomatic cable which contained serious allegations that retired Justice Bulkachuwa received millions of Naira as bribes to give favorable judgments to politicians on election disputes.
Dated 25th of April 2008, the publication obtained by SaharaReporters exposed how the then Nigerian First Lady Turai Yar’Adua bribed the retired Appeal Court President to uphold the election of her son-in-law, Usman Dakin-Gari as governor of Kebbi State.
Dakin-Gari served as governor of Kebbi State from 2007 to 2015.
According to the Wikileaks publication, former governor of Sokoto, Attahiru Bafarawa, also bribed retired Justice Bulkachuwa to overturn the election of political rival, Aliyu Wamakko.
