Appeal Court President, Justice Bulkachuwa, withdraws from presidential election tribunal states personal reasons.

The Court of Appeal President, Zainab Bulkachuwa, has recused herself from presiding over and being a member of the presidential election petition tribunal.

She mentioned ‘personal ground’ as a reason for her decision.

Mrs Bulkachuwa announced the decision after a five-member panel of the court ruled against the application brought by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). The opposition party and its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, had challenged her membership of the tribunal on account of her relationships with two members of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The PDP and Mr Abubakar are challenging the victory of President Muhammadu Buhari of the APC in the February presidential election.

The PDP had also approached the court after the inaugural sitting of the tribunal on May 8, accusing Mrs Bulkachuwa of “having the likelihood of bias,” on the grounds that her husband, Adamu Bulkachuwa, and her son, Aliyu Bulkachuwa, are both members of the APC.

Mrs Bulkachuwa’s husband was picked by the APC to represent the party ahead of the 2019 senatorial elections which he eventually won. 

The PDP also asked Mrs Bulkachuwa to recuse herself from further presiding or participating as a member of the tribunal after the party cited some of her comments during the tribunal’s inaugural seating.

After reading through the arguments of counsel, a member of the panel, Peter Ige, who read the judgement, said the submissions made by the applicants showed that Mrs Bulkachuwa was only being accused of the likelihood of bias.

“As can be seen from the prayers and the grounds, the President of the Court is not being accused of bias. However, she is being accused of the likelihood of bias.

"That fear is born out of the relationship she shares with prominent card-carrying members of this panel.

“I am of the sole view that no such inference can be reached from the above statement. I am of the firm view that enough materials have not been placed to show that the Honourable president has the likelihood of bias.

“The fact that she is the mother and wife of the APC members is not enough to require that she recuse herself. Her family members are not parties in the instant suit,” Mr Ige said. The judge then ruled that the application had failed and was subsequently dismissed.

After the ruling, Mrs Bulkachuwa said that she insisted that the trial to be heard in full so that the place of the law would be noted. She, however, added that she was recusing herself “on personal grounds.”

“I will, however, recuse myself on personal ground,” Mrs Bulkachuwa said.

She added that her decision was taken to ensure that no female jurist is discriminated against in Nigeria’s future