Senator Ali Ndume says he understands the need for Adamu Bulkachuwa, in cahoots with his wife, Zainab Bulkachuwa (the president of the Appeal Court), to game the system. Mr Ndume considered Mr Bulkachuwa, a courageous individual for confessing to committing an illegal act.

In his valedictory statement on the house floor, Mr Bukachuwa, 83, who represented Bauchi North in the ninth Senate, revealed how he influenced his wife and how he used her position to “help” his colleagues. 

“Particularly, my wife, whose freedom I encroached while she was in office,” Mr Bulkachuwa said. “She has been very tolerant and accepted my encroachment and extended her help to my colleagues.”

In an interview with Channels TV on Wednesday night, Mr Ndume commended Mr Bulkachuwa’s courage, admitting that he faces a similar situation. 

“My first wife is a high court judge. When people know your wife is a judge, they pressure you. We are all humans,” Mr Ndume said. “It depends on how strong you are to stand against these things. When the system is compromised, you will be tempted.”

The APC senator added, “But I like his courage for confessing publicly. I think it would help the system, people to look inward. Look at yourself and say, well, and you believe what you have done is wrong, the best thing is to come out and say, ‘I did this; I am sorry for that’. Maybe that will help others that will be tempted to do the same.”

Following the revelation of how Mrs Bulkachuwa, who was Appeal Court president between 2014 and 2020, compromised her office to favour politicians, Nigerians have expressed concerns over the integrity of judicial officers as Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party and Peter Obi of Labour Party, are in court contesting the legitimacy of President Bola Tinubu’s victory in the February 25 presidential poll.

In a tweet on Tuesday, a legal practitioner, Olisa Agbakoba, adjudged the ninth Senate as “a monumental disgrace for our institutions” and called for Mr Bulkachuwa’s arrest to boost Nigerians’ confidence in the judiciary.

Demola Olarewaju, Mr Abubakar’s media aide, tweeted that Mr Bukachuwa’s revelation confirmed the PDP’s position that APC members frequently compromise justice, stressing that “she and her husband should be investigated.”

In his Democracy Day speech on Monday, Mr Tinubu said his government would not tolerate the use of “illegal court” orders to truncate democracy.