The Citizens Alliance for Rule of Law and Justice (CARoLJ), a civic watchdog group, describes former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice Abubakar Malami’s (SAN) recent criticism of the Bola Tinubu administration as an act of “political desperation dressed in borrowed morality.” Malami defected from the All Progressives Congress (APC) to the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
According to a statement released in Abuja on Sunday and signed by Dr. Hamzat Tunde Ayoola, the group’s president, CARoLJ said that Malami’s accusations that the current government is ignoring security and causing poverty in Nigeria are not only ironic but also gravely offensive to the intelligence of Nigerians who experienced his time of constitutional vandalism and legal impunity.
During one of the most troubling eras in Nigerian legal history, Abubakar Malami ruled. Listening to him today talk about justice, equity, and national rebirth is like listening to a man trying to hide a history of blatant abuse of state authority, shielding of corrupt political elites, and disregard for court decisions, Dr. Ayoola added.
Officially announcing his defection to the ADC on Wednesday, Malami, who was Minister of Justice from 2015 to 2023, claimed that the party provides a coalition to “rescue Nigeria from collapse.” In particular, he criticized the economic hardship and insecurity in northern Nigeria and charged that the APC-led government was putting publicity ahead of governance.
But according to CARoLJ, Malami’s sudden sympathy for the suffering of the country was “both cynical and dishonest,” citing a lengthy history of failed policies, tainted prosecutions, and judicial sabotage during his tenure.
“The Federal Ministry of Justice turned become a weapon against the weak and a political shelter for the corrupt under Malami. He constantly disregarded legitimate court decisions, obstructed historic anti-corruption trials, and oversaw a legal system that progressively favored the wealthy at the price of the populace, he claimed.
Among other instances when Malami reportedly permitted impunity, the organization pointed to the contentious 2017 restoration of Abdulrasheed Maina, the former chairman of the Pension Reform Task Team. Malami allegedly knew of and supported Maina’s smuggling back into the public service despite her being on trial for major pension theft.
Malami owes Nigerians an explanation for the promotion and reinstatement of a wanted criminal implicated in corruption. “He should be permanently barred from holding any public office for that scandal alone,” he stated.
Additionally, the group criticized Malami’s involvement in the contentious presidential pardon of two former governors who were imprisoned for embezzlement of public funds: Jolly Nyame of Taraba State and Joshua Dariye of Plateau State. During President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration in 2022, Malami’s government handled the pardon, which was strongly denounced by civil society organizations.
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Men found guilty of stealing billions of dollars were granted clemency thanks to Malami, while good Nigerians were imprisoned for small-time crime. He is no longer able to act as an advocate for the underprivileged.
Malami was additionally charged by CARoLJ with undermining Nigeria’s anti-corruption initiatives by giving rash legal advice, dropping cases too soon, and persistently interfering with the work of organizations like the EFCC and ICPC.
A number of significant corruption cases that were either mysteriously dropped or handled poorly under Malami’s direction were also mentioned by the civic organization. These included the well-known case involving Diezani Alison-Madueke, the former Minister of Petroleum, and the contentious handling of oil contracts involving foreign interests, which resulted in settlements and court losses that cost Nigeria billions of dollars.
“A number of historic corruption cases fell apart under Malami’s tenure—not due to a lack of evidence, but rather to tainted prosecution and political meddling. The P&ID arbitration lawsuit was one of the numerous legal losses the administration had overseas when Malami was in charge. He politicized important information and used a terrible legal technique, which cost this nation dearly. Remembering Diezani’s situation is important,” Ayoola remarked.
The group cautioned voters against falling for Malami’s “reinvention strategy,” characterizing his defection to the ADC as “a soft launch of his long-suspected ambition to contest the 2027 governorship election in Kebbi State.”
“ The ADC defection of Abubakar Malami is a planned attempt at rebranding by a guy who is yearning to get away from the shadow of his own legacy, not a patriotic gesture. We cannot fool Nigerians. You cannot claim to be the face of national rescue after years of constitutional sabotage, disobedience to court decisions, and protection of looters. “Malami is joining the ADC to save himself, not to save Nigeria,” Ayoola stated.
CARoLJ responded immediately to Malami’s demand that Nigerians use the ADC to “reclaim the nation,” dismissing it as being contradictory.
Malami says he is saving Nigeria, yet it is the same Nigeria he helped bleed for almost ten years. Ayoola pointed out that although he now discusses banditry and suffering in the North, he remained silent during Buhari’s destruction of communities in Zamfara, Kebbi, and Borno because he was too focused on political consolidation.
In response to the pleas of the Kebbi people throughout the years of banditry, Malami remained silent. Now, he is unable to pretend to be your liberator. The continuous effort by humiliated political actors to hide behind new parties and outdated slogans must be resisted by Nigerians. The first step toward real transformation is accountability, not desertion.
