APC Congresses: Malami Denies Disobeying Osinbajo’s Directive

The Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN), has denied disobeying the directives of Vice President Yemi Osinbajo on the All Progressives Congress (APC) State Congresses.

Following the Supreme Court ruling on the Ondo state governorship election, Osinbajo had directed Malami not to go ahead with the state congresses but reports have it that the minister directed the state chapters to go ahead with the congresses.

In a statement on Sunday signed by his Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Umar Gwandu, Malami described the reports as fake and baseless.

Malami added that the conduct of the congresses is entirely the affairs of the APC and has nothing to do with him.

The statement reads: “It is important to put the record straight that congresses and the conduct thereof are a function of a political party and not the office of the Attorney General.

“The Honourable Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice is not responsible for the implementation of directives relating to party administration as it is rightly known.

“It is, therefore, incongruous and antithetical to common sense to think that the Honourable Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice refusing to obey directives over which he has no legal responsibility to execute.

“The allegation does not represent the true position of things, please. It is a common knowledge that the two eminent personalities are both lawyers, hence could be entitled to their respective opinions within the context of Section 39 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria that upholds freedom of expression.

“It is a tradition and normal experience in life that lawyers express divergent opinions which in some cases are not rooted in the majority decision of the Supreme Court on speculations and insinuations.

“The Honourable Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice is not bound by any conclusion put across which should naturally be persuasive and not binding.

“The Honourable Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice remain law-abiding and wholeheartedly abiding by presidential directives.”