A group, the Amalgamated Atiku Support Group, has berated the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, for his stance on the citizenship of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, saying he is no longer acting as the chief law officer of the federation.
In a statement by its Director of Media, Remi Adebayo, the group said it is worrisome that Malami is acting as if he is the attorney-general of the ruling All Progressives Congress.
The group’s statement was in reaction to Malami’s submission before the Federal High Court in Abuja in which the AGF had argued that Abubakar was not eligible to run for the presidency of Nigeria because he is not from Nigeria.
The suit was filed by the Incorporated Trustees of Egalitarian Mission for Africa in 2019.
But Adebayo said for Malami to join the suit filed by “a hurriedly put together group known as Trustees of Egalitarian Mission for Africa (EMA)” begs the question as to what his interest is.
He said: “The suit before the court challenging the citizenship of Atiku Abubakar, it would be recalled, has been exhaustively dealt with by the Court of Appeal and same affirmed by the Supreme Court at the final judgment during the presidential election petitions tribunal.
“It is, therefore, laughable and inconceivable to see the Attorney-General of the Federation putting his weight behind such an exercise in futility.”
Adebayo said Malami’s action is predicated on his ambition to run for the office of the president to take over from President Muhammadu Buhari in 2023.
He added: “This inordinate ambition of Malami can be glimpsed from how desperately he moved against some of his own party men who have indicated interest to run against him in the APC, but ultimately, Atiku Abubakar is seen as the biggest threat hence this heinous move to stop the former vice president.
“But we have no doubt that this plot shall fail. Malami’s belief that he can use his position as the chief law officer and the instrumentality of the courts to achieve his vaulting ambition will also collapse on his face.”
Adebayo therefore called on the courts not to allow themselves to be used as pawns in the hands of the attorney-general.
He also called on Nigerians “to speak up and rise against this evil machination as it is capable of denying them (Nigerians) the much-needed good governance that would be brought by Atiku Abubakar when he is elected into the office of the president come 2023.”