Corruption Allegation: Come Clear On Bulkachuwa – PDP Tells Presidency, APC

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has called on the Buhari-led
Presidency and the leadership of the All Progressives Congress,
APC, to clear the air on allegations of corruption against Justice
Zainab Bulkachuwa, President of the Court of Appeal.

In a statement by its spokesman, Kola Ologbondiyan, the party on
Sunday said: “On account of this allegation and the nefarious plot
to bring the name of our party into its narrative, the PDP charges
the Buhari Presidency to come clear on the corruption allegation it
opened on Justice Bulkachuwa.”

The party says since the Buhari Presidency has alluded to issues
of corruption against Justice Bulkachuwa, contrary to issues raised
in the PDP petition bothering on bias, it behoves on the Presidency
and the APC to make public, the corruption issues they have alluded
to.

“The Presidency should also take a step further by pursuing
these issues of corruption just as it did in its case of corruption
allegations against the former Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice
Walter Onnoghen, instead of wickedly dragging our party into issues
that have no bearing with the PDP.

“Now that the Presidency has informed the whole nation that
Justice Bulkachuwa has issues of corruption, we challenge it to do
the needful rather than engaging in shadow-boxing against our
party.

“Moreover, in the face of corruption allegations, as has now
been exposed by the Presidency, the burden still lies on the same
Presidency to come clean. In doing that, the Presidency will be
ranching on its established course, having hit the records of
harassing and intimidating judicial officials; abuse of court
processes and disregard for court orders,” the PDP’s statement read
in parts.

The party further said it holds that the Buhari Presidency’s
fresh allegation of corruption now places a huge moral burden on
Justice Bulkachuwa, particularly in her capacity as the President
of the Court of Appeal.

The PDP said that its premise is based on the fact that a
judicial officer of Bulkachuwa’s standing “must not only be above
board but be seen to be above board at all times”.

The opposition party restated its demand for Justice Bulkachuwa
to “recuse” herself from the Presidential Election Petition
Tribunal, following the alleged manifest bias in her opening
address, “that no matter how well the election is conducted, there
are bound to be complaints”.

The party said its call is in addition to the fact that Justice
Zainab’s husband, Hon. Adamu Mohammed Bulkachuwa, is a frontline
leader of the APC, which is a party in their case before the
tribunal.

In surmising, the PDP argued that with the developments, the
party will certainly not obtain justice before Justice Bulkachuwa
in the panel.

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