Attorney-general of the federation Abubakar Malami has denied sending a secret memo to President Muhammadu Buhari, urging him to suspend the 1999 constitution and declare martial law in the country.
Tension has risen in Nigeria in the past few weeks following the killing of a former presidential aide, Ahmed Gulak, in Imo, and Buhari’s ‘civil war’ tweets deleted for violating Twitter rules.
An online news medium on Wednesday claimed it exclusively obtained a copy of the alleged eight-paged memo. It said the memo was dated May 4.
It also alleged that Malami fingered prominent separatist agitators like Sunday Igboho and Nnamdi Kanu as persons fueling insurrection in parts of the country, and argued that the best way to handle them was to declare martial law in the country.
However, in a statement on Thursday signed by his spokesman Umar Gwandu, Malami said he remained a “true democrat” and believes in the rule of law, tenets of democracy and constitutional order.
“The Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice is a constitutionally recognised one with its role and responsibilities embedded in the constitution,” the statement further read.
“It is antithetical to common sense to think that the holder of such coveted Office as the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice will stoop to what was printed by the media.
“The Government does not operate in secrecy as it is not a clandestine operation. Hence, Malami discharges his constitutionally recognized mandates in compliance with principles of transparency, openness and accountability.”
