*Says ‘my wife is a judge, friends put pressure on me’
*Revelation by former colleague will help system, people look inwards – Borno Senator
*Such disclosure is ‘monumental disgrace’ – Agbakoba
*Asks Tinubu, security agencies to take immediate action
By BASHIR ADEFAKA
Senator representing Borno South District in the 10th National Assembly, Alhaji Ali Ndume, has given his own angle attesting to revelation by his former colleague, Senator Adamu Bulkachuwa, on how distinguished members of the Red Chamber put pressure on him to get his wife influence justice in their favour.
The DEFENDER reports that Senator Bulkachuwa, a 9th Assembly’s Senator, had made startling revelations that his wife, Justice Zainab Bulkachuwa extended help to some politicians during her time as President of the Court of Appeal of Nigeria between April 2014 and March 2020.
Bulkachuwa, 83, who represented Bauchi North Senatorial District in the 9th Senate, made the disclosure during Senate Valedictory Session on Saturday June 10, 2023 attended by First Lady Oluremi Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima, who were both outgoing senators at the time of the event.
He was, however, interjected by the then outgoing and presiding Senate President, Senator Ahmed Lawan, who said things like the kind of revelations being made were not supposed to be at the occasion forcing the senator to stop.
Commenting to confirm Senator Bulkachuwa’s claims, Ndume said that his first wife is a high court judge and that his friends usually mount pressure on him, adding that it takes being strong in character to stand against the pressure mounted by friends.
“My wife is a high court judge, my first wife. And when people know that your wife is a judge, especially your friends, they will put pressure on you,” he said on Channels Television’s Politics Today programme on Tuesday.
“We are all humans, depends on how strong you are to stand against this kind of thing,” he added.
Many senior lawyers including Senior Advocate of Nigeria and former President of Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Mr. Olisa Agbakoba, have since tackled Bulkachuwa, labelling such disclosure by him as a “monumental disgrace” and asked that security agencies and President Bola Tinubu act immediately.
Ndume, who spoke on Channels Television’s programme hours after the inauguration of the 10th National Assembly on Tuesday, said he is bothered by Bulkachuwa’s comment, saying, “people are caught in between what is right and moral and what is social”.
“Sometimes, when the system itself is more or less compromised or can be compromised, you will be tempted but I like his courage for confessing publicly even when he can decide to say no. It will help the system and people to look inwards,” he said.
