When I first read that Abubakar Malami (SAN), former President Muhammadu Buhari’s all-powerful and controversy-dogged Minister of justice and Attorney General of the Federation, had defected to the African Democratic Congress (ADC) coalition, my heart almost gave up.
I wondered what could possibly make a man who actively participated in almost everything bad that happened to this country under the last administration imagine that he still has political capital to leverage? What makes him think he could gain influence, even in his ward or local government area, let alone in Kebbi state, where people are already seeing verifiable governance in action under Governor Nasir Idris?
Frankly, when the coalition talks first started brewing, I thought its frontliners had found the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC)-like formula that could help them replicate the 2015 cohesion that toppled an incumbent president for the first time in Nigeria’s democratic history. It appeared, on the surface, to be the birth of a credible alternative.
But since names like Abubakar Malami, Nasir El-Rufai, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, Rotimi Amaechi, and others with heavy baggage began surfacing, my hopes have since dimmed. The entire lineup looks more like a retirement home for the failed, embittered, and politically displaced persons. These are people who, having wielded enormous power in the last administration, now find it impossible to live without it – the same power.
And Malami, more than anyone else, is the poster child of that spectacular fall from grace. Word has it that he has set his eyes on Kebbi, plotting to wrestle the governorship seat from Comrade Dr. Nasir Idris in 2027. But the problem for Malami is glaring and almost insurmountable. You see, the people of Kebbi state have seen development up close under Idris, and it does not resemble the propaganda Malami and his band of failed politicians are trying to sell. So, they view Malami’s attempts to stir up controversy that keeps backfiring for what it is – failure! Leaving him looking like a desperate man clutching at straws.
The truth is, Malami’s name alone is enough to demarket him. His tenure as AGF was defined less by justice and more by scandal. Nigerians have not forgotten his role in the Abdulrasheed Maina saga, where the fugitive pension reform boss, already dismissed and facing trial for multi-billion naira fraud, was mysteriously reinstated into the civil service in 2017; a move traced back to Malami’s office. The scandal embarrassed the Buhari administration and damaged Malami’s credibility irretrievably.
Then there was the matter of the repatriated Abacha loot, where Malami faced allegations of attempting to pay $100 million to lawyers under questionable circumstances. Critics accused him of turning the process into a money-making scheme. While he denied wrongdoing, the controversy stuck, reinforcing the perception that he saw public office assistant a cash cow.
Nigerians also remember the P&ID $9.6 billion arbitration scandal, where the government’s legal handling came under severe criticism. Many argued that Malami’s office bungled key aspects of the case, putting Nigeria at risk of losing billions. Add to this his role in asset recovery controversies where luxury houses, seized cars, and questionable asset sales appear to end up with his friends and cronies; and you have the portrait of a minister who seemed perpetually caught between duty and vested interests.
Even in state matters, Malami’s hand was often controversial. He was accused of meddling in political crises in states like Rivers and Kano, using his office to push partisan outcomes rather than impartial justice. He was also linked to high-handed interventions in corruption cases, shielding allies while targeting enemies. His critics tagged him “the most powerful AGF in Nigeria’s history,” not because he strengthened the rule of law, but because he bent it.
With such a horrible record, does Malami really believe the people of Kebbi state will suddenly forget? That they will abandon a moving train and hand the reins of their state to a man stuck in political wilderness? The Kebbi voters are not naïve and frankly, that he believed he could hoodwink them into preferring him to Gov. Idris is an insult to their sensibilities. These people have seen that the development strides of Dr. Idris like road projects, healthcare upgrades, or recruitment of teachers and health workers, etc. are tangible, unlike Malami’s audio promises.
I honestly wonder why the APC government of Bola Ahmed Tinubu has not started ruffling Malami’s feathers. But perhaps it is because they know what some of us already see, that Malami is no longer a threat. He has become a political paperweight. If this be the case, then Malami’s situation is worst than many have thought. I mean, if despite the enormous powers he wielded as AGF, he is now considered incapable of even denting APC’s interests in Kebbi, then his political essence has evaporated. That would explain the man’s desperation, the sudden clinging to the ADC, and the laughable ambition for 2027.
In any case, it would do Malami’s friends a world of good to sit him down and admonish him. He must be reminded that a man who lives in a grass house does not play with firecrackers. He can either retrace his steps, quietly pretend to still have relevance in Abuja drawing rooms, or pursue this quixotic 2027 ambition and walk straight into the crushing defeat that awaits him at the polls. Such a crushing defeat will not just end his ambition, it will bury whatever political capital he imagines he still has.
And that, truly, would be the final act of Malami’s macabre dance. So, Malami and his loud friends should consider this piece a friendly advise. Take the easy road to obsolescence or face the grim realities of your tanked public influence. The choice is yours.