Sen Bulkachuwa’s ‘Confession’: Top Lawyer Shares What to Do to Avoid “Embarrassing” Situations in Future
- Barrister Yusuf Nurudeen has said Senator Adamu Bulkachuwa’s admission that his wife, Zainab, used her position to favour politicians is "embarrassing"
- The well-known Lagos-based lawyer said the comment by the outgone lawmaker also called Mrs Bulkachuwa’s reputation into question
- Nurudeen added that it had destroyed public confidence in the Nigerian judiciary
- The legal practitioner subsequently reeled out recommendations for federal regulators in order to avoid such "embarrassment" in the future
Ikeja, Lagos state - Former Ikeja branch chairman of the Young Lawyers' Forum (YLF) of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Yusuf Temilola Nurudeen, has described as "embarrassing" the confession of a former senator, Adamu Bulkachuwa, on how he influenced the decisions of his wife, Zainab Bulkachuwa, while she was the president of the Court of Appeal.
Speaking in an interview with Legit.ng on Thursday, June 15, Nurudeen said the comment of the ex-senator has a calamitous consequence on the years of ‘the sterling performance’ of his wife, Justice Zainab.
Source: Facebook
Legit.ng reports that Bulkachuwa, who was the senator representing Bauchi South in the 9th National Assembly, had during the valedictory session said that he influenced judicial decisions in favour of some senators through Justice Zainab, The Cable reported.
What the Nigerian judiciary should do going forward
Explaining his stance on the issue, Barrister Nurudeen said although judges are supposed to be impartial and objective, they are sometimes influenced by their personal preferences.
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He explained:
“This further restates the place of men as being human in the administration of justice.
“And to avoid a situation like this going further, the appointment process of judges of courts should take into consideration the political lives of their spouses and the consequence which that may have on the integrity of the jurists."
The lawyer, a Mandela Washington Fellow, said the Bulkachuwa case was one that was "avoidable".
He stated:
"In situations where the husband wields so much political influence like we had like the Rivers state judiciary under former governor Nyesom Wike, the spouses of jurists should distance themselves from the work of a jurist, or, it would be a ground to disqualify such jurist from holding administrative, particularly offices that is going to have a direct influence on decisions of courts.”
'How judgement decisions are reached at appeal court
Explaining that he was surprised by Senator Bulkachuwa's 'confession', being that the Court of Appeal is the place where more than one justice sits on a case, Barrister Nurudeen expounded on how judgements are passed at the appellate court.
He said:
“I’ve come to realise that even before decisions are reached, before judgements are passed, there is usually a conference to look at the rationale behind the leading judgement.
“And in situations where any of the justices is not subscribing to the views of the leading judge or the leading justice, he has the right to write what we call ‘the dissenting judgement’.
“And the dissenting judgement, let's say in a panel of three, when it comes from more than one of the justices, then it becomes the judgement of the court."
More stringent reforms to Nigerian justice system should be introduced
Nurudeen urged federal regulators to take up a set of reforms to safeguard the justice system following ex-senator Bulkachuwa's saga.
All the reforms, Barrister Nurudeen noted, can be accomplished if there is a will.
The member of the NBA's National Executive Council (NEC) said:
“So, in circumstances like this, I think there should be more stringent reforms around issues that are going to reflect the job of the judge. Meaning that if your spouse is a high public office holder in the state or at the federal level, then it should be a ground to deny such person administrative position, because being a judge involves so many things, part of it is that you rise through the process.
“So, in situation where the spouse rose to meet the other spouse at that level, then either of them should give way for the other, which I think is important.
“Or probably, let us see how there is going to be a reform to see that there is a policy at those courts to state that if your husband or your spouse is a well-known politician, there should be kind of cases that you can handle, it must not be the kind of cases that is going to subvert the interest of the populace like, we have in the video.
“We need to strengthen our justice system to avoid situations like this. This is so embarrassing.
“It is embarrassing for the records that she (Justice Zainab) would have kept over the years, it is embarrassing for her future, it is embarrassing for the entire justice system in the country, and it is a situation that is extremely avoidable.”
Bulkachuwa confesses to influencing wife's decisions
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that Bulkachuwa made a revelation about the affairs of his wife as a judge.
The Bauchi lawmaker noted that Zainab Bulkachuwa, his wife, used her position as a judge to favour his colleagues in the Senate.
Source: Legit.ng
