PDP Writes Justice Bulkachuwa, Urges Her To Excuse Self From Panel On Atiku’s Petition

The National Working Committee, NWC, of the Peoples Democratic
Party, PDP, Thursday asked the President of the Court of Appeal,
Justice Zainab Bulkachuwa to excuse herself from the Presidential
Tribunal sitting over the petition filed by its Presidential
candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, who is contesting the declaration
of President Muhammadu Buhari as winner of the February 23
polls.

The party premised its rejection of Justice Bulkachuwa’s
membership of the panel on the grounds that her husband is a
Senator-elect from Bauchi State in the recent election on the
platform of the All Progressives Congress, APC.

PDP added that it would be difficult to convince any reasonable
person that she will not discuss the case with her husband who is
an interested party in the case.

The party stated this in a letter to Justice dated May 8, 2019,
signed by its the National Chairman, Prince Uche Secondus and the
National Secretary, Senator Umaru Ibrahim Tsuari.

The letter was titled ‘A Request To Recuse Yourself From The
Panel Hearing Petition No. CA/PEPC/002/2019.

Justice Bulkachuwa is the chairman of the panel to hear the
petition filed by Atiku and PDP as second defendant over the
outcome of the election. The Independent National Electoral
Commission (INEC), President Muhammadu Buhari and the APC are
defendants in the suit.

A copy of the letter which was obtained by Vanguard read in
part: “My Lord, it is no more a secret, that your dear husband,
Hon. Adamu Mohammed Bulkachuwa, contested the February 23, 2019
election for the position of Senator in Bauchi North Senatorial
district and won same on the platform of the All Progressives
Congress (APC).

“This information is not just in the public domain but has
dominated both public and private discussions to the extent that it
has become a sore source of worry not just for members of our party
but to the generality of Nigerians because of your very unique and
critical position as the President of the Court of Appeal which is
saddled with the sacred responsibility of hearing petitions arising
from the presidential election.

“This fear was palpable enough just with you as the President of
the Court of Appeal but has now been worsened and compounded by the
discovery that you have decided to appoint yourself as chairman of
the Panel to hear the petition.

The party added that “we are reasoning that, armed with this
golden rule of justice as fair hearing and given your direct
intimacy through your dear husband, with the APC, one of the
parties in this Election petition, your lordship would have
exercise your constitutional right and powers guardedly,
judiciously and judicially, by excluding yourself from the panel of
this honourable court sitting over the particular petition.

“It is based on the above premises, therefore that we are
constrained to respectfully request for your Lordship to recuse
yourself from presiding over and/or sitting as a member of the
panel hearing the instant petition as it would be impossible for
your lordship to convince any reasonable man that your dear husband
never discussed this petition, which he is patently interested in
its outcome with you, throughout the trial.”

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