Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami is not committed to President Muhammadu Buhari’s anti-corruption crusade, according to a ranking member, Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption (PACAC), Femi Odekunle.
Odekunle, a professor of criminology, made this known on Monday, following the arrest and subsequent suspension of acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ibrahim Magu.
Magu is being probed for alleged misconduct, fraternising with looters, living above his means, insubordination among others.
Odekunle decried the ongoing prosecution of the anti-graft agency’s boss, describing it as an outcome of “power-play by power blocs in the corridors of power in which Malami appears to be an arrow-head”.
The PACAC member insinuated that the AGF may just be taking advantage of his close ties with the president, severally fronting his own candidate to succeed Magu.
According to him, Malami has not manifested any genuine commitment to the anti-corruption fight of the president.
“It may not be contestable that Malami has been exploiting his alleged loyalty and closeness to the President for his personal /power bloc agenda,” Odekunle said.
” For, to the best of PACAC’s knowledge and observations, Malami has not manifested any genuine commitment to the anti-corruption fight. Samplers: The nolle- prosequi entered in a case of corruption against Orubebe in relation to alleged malfeasance while Minister of Niger Delta Ministry; his secret meeting with fugitive Maina in Dubai under whatever guise/ excuse; his involvement in the surreptitious reinjection of the same Maina into the Civil Service; his supervision of Obono-Oblas’ kangaroo Asset Recovery outfit which Obono subsequently ran out of the country when exposed by some ICPC investigation; his non-due attention, by design or default, to the P&ID matter since 2015 until it was blown open by humongous financial damage to the country; etc.
“Notwithstanding the situation at hand, the hope of PACAC is that the President would wake up to the ongoing shenanigans of power players that are working from the inside against his anti-corruption fight.
“We are also counting on the experience and dexterity of the new Chief of Staff, Professor Ibrahim Gambari whose loyalty to the President and good of the country cannot be doubted, and we also hope that the demonstrated integrity of retired Justice Salami would carry the day for thoroughness, fairness and justice in the interest of the anti-corruption fight.”
However, the PACAC has since distanced itself from Odekunle’s stands, saying it was his personal opinion.
In a statement signed by its Communications Officer, Mr. Aghogho Agbahor, PACAC said ” the press release is the personal opinion of the member under whose name it was released and not that of the committee. If the committee consistent with its mandate has any view on the matter, it will be channeled to the President and not to the media”.
