Senator Adamu Bulkachuwa on Saturday pushed to dispel controversy that enveloped the country in the wake of his explosive public disclosure of a mutually-beneficial relationship between his senior judge wife and politicians.

Mr Bulkachuwa said former Senate President Ahmad Lawan did not allow him to conclude his admission on the Senate floor last week, during which he said Zainab Bulkachuwa used her position as Appeal Court president to favour politicians.

“Well, I was not even allowed to finish, I just started with some words like thanking her, saying she was patient with me as she was legal practitioner and I am a politician,” Mr Bulkachuwa told BBC Hausa in an interview on Saturday.Mr Bulkachuwa said his disclosure should be taken in a context other than what has been driving public outrage over his comment, including an urgent appeal to federal authorities to investigate and potentially charge him for his self-owned perversion of justice and influence peddling.

“I wanted to elaborate on the specific nature of the help she provided, as there exists a wide range of support that professionals in various fields, such as legal practitioners, doctors, or engineers, can offer in their respective roles,” Mr Bulkachuwa said. “Note that this assistance does not involve any illegal or unethical activities.” 

The Bauchi senator walked back his initial statement that he “encroached on his wife’s independence” while she was in office.

“I look at faces in this chamber who have come to me and sought for my help when my wife was the President of the Court of Appeal,” Mr Bulkachuwa said on the Senate floor on June 13. “And I must thank particularly my wife, whose freedom and independence I encroached upon while she was in office.”

“She has been very tolerant and accepted my encroachment and extended her help to my colleague,” the senator added to instant uproar. Mr Lawan summarily interjected to save his colleague, but not enough damage had been inflicted on the Nigerian judiciary and its sanctity.

Judiciary regulator NJC indicated a potential review of cases involving politically-exposed persons that were adjudicated by Mrs Bulkachuwa and might have been tainted by her husband’s encroachment. Whether or not the body could exert disciplinary action against a retired judge remained unclear.

Mr Bulkachuwa told the BBC he did not influence his wife’s decisions while she was on the bench, insisting that cases she handled were not even discussed.

“In my personal relationship with her, I have never imposed upon her professional autonomy or attempted to influence her judgement in handling cases or running her office,” he said. “Such matters were not even discussed in our home.”

Mrs Bulkachuwa, who has not publicly commented on the crisis, led the Court of Appeal between April 2014 to March 2020. Her 83-year-old politician husband represented Bauchi North in the Ninth Senate.