By Andrew Onyejuruuwa
Finally, Justice Zainab Bulkachuwa has announced Justice Mohammed Garba as replacement on the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal involving President Muhammadu Buhari and former Vice President and presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the last elections in Nigeria.
Bulkachuwa, by virtue of her position as the President of the Appeal Court was an automatic member of the tribunal, which was vehemently challenged by Atiku by virtue of the fact that her husband is a member of Buhari’s All Progressive Congress (APC), who also contested and won election on the platform of the party. Atiku’s camp argued that Bulkachuwa would be an interested party if allowed to superintend over a case of the husband’s party.
Before his appointment to replace Bulkachuwa, Justice Garba was the Presiding Justice of the Lagos Division of the Court of Appeal. Bulkachuwa recused herself from participating in adjudicating petitions challenging the re-election of President Muhammadu Buhari on May 22, 2019. She made the announcement on Wednesday in Abuja after the tribunal had delivered ruling against an application challenging her membership of the tribunal. The candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar is currently challenging the election of President MohammadU Buhari at the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal.