Senator Bulkachuwa’s confession is an eye-opener for all Nigerians and also speaks deep into the rot in the Nigerian judiciary.
Only in a docile society with unfocused youths would a heinous crime such as this be left unquestioned. Many will not know or understand what this confession means to the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) family. Iam sure anyone reading this would wonder what the nexus is between this confession and the NNPP.
It was indeed a sad day for the vibrant and ever resilient youths of Bauchi North Senatorial District as they watched helplessly their mandate which they freely gave to Hon Faruq Mustapha (NNPP senatorial candidate) to represent them in the red chamber taken away and handed over to Senator Balkachuwa in the 2019 National Assembly elections. Due to lack of state powers and after having taken a comfortable lead in five of seven local governments, the then seating governor of Bauchi disrupted the process in the remaining two local govts (Zaki and Gamawa). Indeed he desecrated and pulled down the very revered value and tenets of democracy by using the then Commisioner of Police to travel that night to the two local govts to literally snatch electoral materials with a view to manipulating figures to cancel out the NNPP candidate’s comfortable lead established from the already concluded five local govts. Indeed, their plot worked, the governor sacked the LG Chairman of Zaki that night, they successfully took away electoral officers and materials all the way to Bauchi town where the padding of figures took place.
Unable to use the two local govts to cancel the NNPP lead from the five, the only option available was to heavily militarise the collation centre in Azare. The soldiers met a brick wall due to the resilience and commitment of the Katagum Emirate youths. Indeed they were prepared to die defending their mandate given freely to NNPP. The youths shut down all streets in Katagum and Azare demanding that their mandate be left untampered with. All entreaties from the Abuja Office to allow peaceful pursuit of the matter was rebuffed as I was constantly reminded that his wife Zainab Bulkachuwa was the President of the Court of Appeal where all NASS matters end by the provisions of our electoral laws. What we were told was “go to court” and as a law abiding party, we went to court but lost finally at the Appeal Court in Jos. That was how Bauchi North got a sleeping Senator who never added any value to law making in Nigeria.
The final collation and result announcement took place after the youths were decieved by inviting the NNPP candidate as if he was to be declared winner. That temporarily calmed the restive youths and when they made way to pray and drink water, Bulkachuwa was hurriedly declared the winner and the infamous Returning Officer, the then Vice Chancelor of a University in Yobe escaped out of Azare aided by shooting and rampaging soldiers.
Let me conclude by thanking him for not only vindicating NNPP but for also helping to consign to the dust bin what would have been a hard earned name/reputation of his wife and that of the entire Nigerian judiciary.
History is very beautiful…….