Court of Appeal President, Justice Zainab Bulkachuwa, who is overseeing the 201Ridential Election Petition challenging President Buhari’s victory in the last election has resigned from the role.
Bulkachuwa resigned voluntarily on Wednesday after a court ruling which disimissed an application filed by the opposition PDP’s presidential candidate, Alh. Atiku Abubakar, questioning Bulkachuwa’s standing and suggesting bias from the Tribunal Chairman due to her closeness with the ruling APC.
Bulkachuwa said she took the decision to resign as a member of the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal for personal reasons.
She said the remaining four-man panel will continue with the case between President Buhari and Alh. Atiku pending the announcement of the new chairman of the panel.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and it’s Pesidential Candidate, Atiku Abubakar on 16th of may 2019 filed a motion asking an order to ensure that Justice Zainab Bulkachuwa be recused from further sitting of the tribunal or participating in the proceedings in the petition and be replaced by another Justice of the Appeal Court.
They also averred that Justice Bulakchuwa is the biological mother to Aliyu Haidar-Abubakar a prominent card-carrying member of the All Progressive Congress.
It further averred that being the wife and mother of prominent card-carrying members of the APC which is the third respondent in the petition before the tribunal, there is every likelihood of bias if Justice Bulkachuwa remains as a member of the panel.
They also asserted that at the inaugural sitting of the tribunal the president of the appeal court while delivering her speech said “elections are held in Nigeria every four years into elective positions, no matter how well the election is conducted there are bound to be complaints.”
Her decision to step down is seen as a test of transparency of the process.
