A Federal High Court in Abuja, today, dismissed the suit filed by Senator Adamu Bulkachuwa seeking to stop the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, ICPC from investigating him over the indictment comment he made during the valedictory session of the 9th National Assembly.
Justice Inyang Eden Ekwo, in a judgment, held that the suit lacked merit and was outrightly dismissed.
The judge said that Bulkachuwa, being a lawmaker, ought to understand the implications of the statement he made on the floor of the Senate.
According to him, the legislative immunity Bulkachuwa claims in this case does not avail him.
Senator Bulkachuwa had sued the Attorney-General of the Federation AGF, the National Assembly clerk, the State Security Service, SSS, the ICPC and the Nigeria Police Force as 1st to 5th defendants, respectively.
He asked the court to declare that he “is covered, privileged and protected by the parliamentary immunity as enshrined in Section 1 of the Legislative Houses (Powers and Privileges) Act 2017 and freedom of speech and expression made thereto is privileged.”
The Bauchi Senator also prayed the court to declare that without exhausting the internal disciplinary mechanism, recommendations and approval of the 9th Senate, no other law enforcement agent of the Federal Government, including the defendants, can invite any member of the Senate for questioning/interview.
However, Justice Ekwo held that the utterance made by Bulkachuwa on the floor of the Senate on June 10 was not covered by Section 39(1) of the 1999 Constitution.
The judge also noted that the words uttered by the plaintiff on the floor of the Senate on Saturday, 10th June, 2023 was a confession of doing an act that is prohibited by law.
He also noted that when a person confesses that he influenced a judicial officer to help his friends and colleagues, such a person has gone beyond the limit of freedom of speech that is reasonably covered and protected by the provision of Section 39 (1) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).
The judge therefore found that that the speech of the plaintiff on the floor of the Senate on June 10, was a confession of an illegal act.
In a viral video clip on June 12, 2023, Senator Bukachuwa said his wife, President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Zainab, assisted his colleagues at the National Assembly as a serving judge.
“I did my best and in most cases I succeeded,” Senator Bulkachuwa had said, while the then Senate President, Ahmed Lawan, interjected and quickly stopped him from going further in the public confession of some shady deals
