Former spokesman for the South-East to President Bola Tinubu and Chairman of the Forum of Former Members of the Enugu State House of Assembly (FOF-MEHA), Mr. Josef Onoh, has accused former Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), Abubakar Malami (SAN), of hypocrisy and disregard for the rule of law during his time in office.
The former presidential spokesman was reacting to Malami’s recent call for Olukoyede to recuse himself from investigations involving him, citing alleged conflicts of interest arising from Chapter Nine of the Justice Ayo Salami Judicial Commission of Inquiry report.
According to Onoh, Malami’s claims of “personal vendetta” and “political persecution” against the EFCC were ironic, given what he described as Malami’s own record as AGF.
“It is particularly revealing that Mr. Malami now cries vendetta and persecution,” Onoh said, alleging that during Malami’s tenure as Attorney-General, several high-profile prosecutions were widely criticised as politically motivated, with repeated instances of disobedience to court orders and prolonged detentions.
Onoh recalled the removal of former EFCC Acting Chairman, Ibrahim Magu, in 2020, alleging that Malami spearheaded the process by forwarding multiple allegations against Magu to then President Muhammadu Buhari. He said Magu was arrested, suspended and investigated by the Justice Ayo Salami Panel, which, according to critics at the time, was seen as the outcome of a power struggle within government.
He further alleged that Malami failed to honour a subpoena to appear before the Salami Panel, adding that although Magu was never prosecuted or convicted, his career was effectively ended.
The former South-East spokesman also cited other cases during Malami’s tenure, including the prolonged detention of former National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki (retd.), despite multiple court orders granting him bail, as well as the prosecution of former PDP National Publicity Secretary, Olisa Metuh.
On the handling of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and its leader, Nnamdi Kanu, Onoh alleged that actions taken under Malami’s watch were widely condemned as suppressing dissent and disregarding court orders.
