Television Nigerian

…call for Minister’s resignation

Some youths, stakeholders and other faithful of the All Progressives Congress have called for the immediate resignation of Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, over his alleged plots to impose candidates on the party.

The group, under the aegis of the Concerned APC Youth Forum, said the AGF had perfected plans to conjure a list from the backdoor during the party’s national convention on February 26th.

In a press statement today in Abuja, the APC forum said that Malami is on a mission to cause gross disaffection in the party through the imposition of candidates, most of which are his allies and cronies.

The group’s convener/president, Comr. Owolabi Abdullahi, therefore, described Malami as an embarrassment to the party and the Buhari administration in all ramifications.

Abdullahi noted that as a matter of urgency, the AGF must desist from his ploy to dictate to members of the APC how to elect and whom to elect at the convention.

In order to save his reputation, the group, however, urged President Buhari to relieve Malami of his duties in the party’s interest should he fail to tender his immediate resignation from office.

Read full statement below:

The recent events in the buildup to the APC national convention slated for February 26th 2022, has indeed called for concern from all stakeholders; hence this press conference convoked to press for the immediate resignation of the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami from office with immediate effect.
We are indeed concerned that a high ranking member of the government and the party in the mould of the Justice Minister would elect to undertake acts that are inimical to the ideals of the party, which are clearly outside his purview.
Mr Abubakar Malami, in recent times, has been meddlesome in the affairs of the party, using his office to cause intimidation and harassment to the current leadership of the party into submitting to his whims and caprices.
The Concerned APC Youth Forum finds his actions worrisome and an indication that the forthcoming National convention of the party might be in jeopardy due to the unwholesome activities of party members who have elected to make impositions of candidates the new norm at the expense of the array of credible candidates that have signified interest in the leadership positions in the party.
We wish to state that the meddlesomeness of the AGF, Abubakar Malami, in the party’s affairs is unbecoming of a public official and the country’s chief law officer, whose conduct ought to be guided by fairness, equity and justice. But he has indeed displayed an apparent lack of grasp of the issues regarding equity and justice through his actions regarding the forthcoming National Convention of the APC.
As concerned stakeholders of the party, we wish to put it on record that the AGF is on a mission to cause gross disaffection in the party through the attempt to impose candidates on the party, most of which are his allies and cronies through which he intends to hijack the party structure in furtherance of his political ambition.
It is also more worrisome that the AGF, Abubakar Malami, has carried on like the party’s legal adviser at the expense of his responsibilities as the chief law officer of the country, which has caused the government monumental embarrassment in recent times.
There are numerous cases where his legal advice to Mr President on critical matters of national concern has caused the government untold embarrassment and to the chagrin of the APC as a party of repute.
A good example is how the AGF, Abubakar Malami, misled the president into signing Executive Order 10 that the Supreme Court has nullified. This is the most unbecoming of the AGF. It is our considered opinion that he is not fit for purpose. His continued stay in office as the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation can no longer be justified.
The Concerned APC Youth Forum wishes to inform all stakeholders of the APC that the AGF, Abubakar Malami, is an embarrassment to the party and the APC government in all ramifications. So much so that we are tempted to question his legal qualifications and competence owing to the public ridicule he has brought to the revered Office of the Attorney General of the Federation.
The AGF, Abubakar Malami, must, as a matter of urgency, desist from his ploy to dictate to members of the APC how to elect and whom to elect at the National Convention of the party. This is on the heels that should he continue in this fashion; there would be a torrent of litigation against the party after the National Convention.
The APC as a party is known for its strict observance of democratic principles in line with the position of President Muhammadu Buhari, and for the AGF, having a contrary motive and strategy leaves all to the imagination with regards to his professional competence.
We are consequently using this medium to call for the immediate resignation from the office of the AGF, Abubakar Malami, as it has been established beyond reasonable doubt that he lacks the moral right to advise Mr President on legal matters and the spirits of the Constitution is at stake with his continued stay in office.

He must be reminded that the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation is not an instrument for intimidation and imposition. And as the Chief Law Officer of the country, his public conduct must reflect that of a constitutional purist.
We also wish to remind the AGF, Abubakar Malami, that the country is indeed aware of how he has monetized the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation in a most despicable and inglorious manner.
This is unacceptable, and his recent conduct within the party indeed justifies this position where he has positioned himself to be the Alfa and Omega regarding who occupies leadership positions in the party.
The Concerned APC Youth Forum wishes to reiterate that democracy is at stake with the continued stay in office of the AGF, Abubakar Malami. As such, nothing short of his immediate resignation from office would be accepted.
Our firm position is that the APC as a party cannot afford the luxury of going into the 2023 general election in a rancorous manner, which would eventually lead to the disintegration of the party, and the consequent electoral defeat come 2023.

We are using this medium to call on President Muhammadu Buhari to act in the party’s interest by relieving the AGF, Abubakar Malami, of his duties should he fail to tender his immediate resignation from office.
Mr President must be aware that his hard-earned reputation as an upright and fair leader to all is also at stake with how the AGF, Abubakar Malami, has conducted himself. This is indeed a litmus test for the party. We desire that Mr President would act decisively due to the urgency and necessity of the now.
We also urge other concerned stakeholders of our great party to keep the faith alive as the shenanigans of the AGF, Abubakar Malami, and his co-travellers won’t see the light of the day.
We thank you all for your kind attention and encourage all to ensure that democracy thrives in our great party. We shall not be a party to any form of unnecessary interference in the democratic processes in the party.

Thank you all, and God bless.

Protesters numbering Over 20, 000 led by the APC Youth Development and Solidarity Forum, Yari Grassroot Support Groups and Al- Makura National Chairman Mandate Coalition this morning marched to the presidential villa to register their grievances over plots by some APC Governors to hijack proceedings at the  forthcoming National Convention.

The protesters who were full of praises for President Muhammadu Buhari for turning away two Governors who went to the villa to submit a list of their choice candidates to the president for endorsement also alleged that these Governors are up to  mischief solely for their selfish interest.

The Groups in a letter presented by APC YDSF President, Danelsi Momoh and  Tobias Ogbeh, Secretary commended the President’s leadership strides in piloting the country’s affairs since 2015, when they said the  people of Nigeria unanimously gave him the mandate to direct the affairs of the country.

The groups in the letter said, “It is instructive to state that this much Mr President has done over the years, and Nigerians have been most impressed, especially by his unshaken stance on transparency and accountability.

“Mr President, these are indeed trying times for the APC as a party as it has become common knowledge that some vested interests are out to undermine the lofty ideals of the party by electing to undertake uncharitable ventures with the potential of puncturing the relative peace and sense of direction of the party in recent times.

“We are constrained to use this medium to bring to the notice of Mr President the attempt by some governors to deceive His Excellency into charting an undemocratic cause in the buildup to the party convention slated for 26 February 2022 by insisting on the candidature of some select individuals for the leadership of the party.

“Mr President may wish to be informed that these individuals do not have the interest of the party at heart; hence their ignoble drive to ensure their preferred candidates get the necessary endorsement at the detriment of other qualified aspirants that have made considerable efforts in reaching out to the various stakeholders in the party with their mission and vision for the party.

“We wish to humbly inform Mr President that the activities of two serving governors are notorious in this regard, which is a betrayal of trust and an insult to the sensibilities of the hard-working members of our great party that have made substantial sacrifices towards building the party to enviable heights.

“Mr President, we must not fail to bring to your notice the activities of the Governor of Kebbi State, Atiku Bagudu. He has jettisoned governance in Kebbi state and has elected to deploy a massive financial war chest in destabilizing the party’s lofty ideals.

“Governor Atiku Bagudu has boasted in several forums that he would singlehandedly pick the chairman of our party and other candidates for leadership positions during the convention. He has stayed true to his threats by intimidating and attempting to undermine the party’s Caretaker Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee.

“Mr President, you must agree with our position that this is undemocratic and must not be allowed to see the light of the day, which has the potential of disintegrating the party before the convention slated for later in the month of February.

“This is indeed against your antecedent, which abhors any form of undemocratic causes that would deprive all stakeholders in the party a right to aspire and contribute their quota to the party’s electoral success.

“This is more worrisome because candidates promoted by these greedy governors are not known loyalists of the party but could pass for moles to compromise the party’s integrity and, by extension, paint a picture of the party as undemocratic before the general public.

“Mr President may wish to know that notable candidates for the chairmanship position of our party, such as former governor of Nasawara State, Tanko Al-Makura, and former governor of Zamfara State, Abdulaziz Yari, have conducted themselves notably and appears to have transverse the country soliciting the support of party members towards the actualization of their ambitions.

“Mr President, we are consequently pained with the action of these governors of our party who are desperately trying to undermine the democratic process by attempting to deceive you and other party members into endorsing a fraudulent list of candidates at the party’s national convention.

“We have thus elected, in collaboration with other critical stakeholders and members of our great party, to stage a mass protest to the presidential villa to register our displeasure in this regard and to demand that Mr President denounces these miscreants and direct immediately for a democratic process within the party.

“We pray that Mr President as the father of the party and in line with your stance on transparency and accountability, reject the Governors and their evil plans and equally consult other stakeholders like the Forum of Ex- Governors in the party to make an input.

“We pray that Mr President consults members of our party in the National Assembly, which has the biggest caucus in the party, towards finding an amicable resolution of the impending crisis.

“Mr President, while we anticipate a favourable response, please accept the assurances of our highest regards” the groups said

They therefore delivered the letter to the President through the office of the Senior  Special Assistant to the President on Media, Mallam Shehu Garuba for onward transmission to the President.