Bulkachuwa withdraws from panel hearing Atiku's petition

Justice Bulkachuwa

Justice Zainab Bulkachuwa, President of the Court of Appeal, on Wednesday succumbed to pressure and disqualified herself from presiding over petitions challenging the outcome of the February 23 presidential election.

Bulkachuwa announced her decision to withdraw from the five-member  panel tribunal she hitherto headed, after four other members of the panel, in a unanimous judgment, dismissed the application that queried her participation in the matter. 

The Appeal Court President maintained that though the panel established that the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and its presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, failed to prove their allegation of bias against her, she was however minded to hands-off the case on personal grounds.

"For personal reason I will be recusing myself now. I insisted that the matter be tried fully so that next time, another female judge will not face what I faced.

"I am withdrawing. A new chairman will be appointed in due course. Meanwhile, the four member panel will be continuing with hearing of any pending application", Justice Bulkachuwa held.

Last week, the PDP and its candidate, Atiku, had asked her to recuse herself from the panel, contending that she would be biased since her husband and son are card carrying members of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC.