The Concerned All Progressives Congress Youth Forum has called for the resignation of the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, over plots to impose candidates on the ruling party ahead of its national convention slated for February 26.
According to the group, Malami has perfected plans to slot in a prepared list of his cronies through the ‘back door’ during the APC congress.
In a statement on Tuesday by its Convener, Owolabi Abdullahi, the CAPCYF said the AGF was on a mission to cause disaffection among party members through his ongoing plot if not stopped by stakeholders.
The statement reads, “Recent events in the buildup to the APC national convention slated for February 26, 2022, has indeed called for concern from all stakeholders.
“We are indeed concerned that a high ranking member of the government and the party in the mould of Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, would elect to undertake acts that are inimical to the ideals of the party, which are clearly outside his purview.
“Mr Malami, in recent times has been meddlesome in the affairs of the party, using his office to cause intimidation and harassment to the current leadership of the party into submitting to his whims and caprices.
“The Concerned APC Youth Forum finds his actions worrisome and an indication that the national convention of the party might be in jeopardy due to the unwholesome activities of party members who have elected to make the imposition of candidates the new norm at the expense of credible candidates.
“As concerned stakeholders of the party, we wish to put it on record that the AGF is on a mission to cause gross disaffection in the party through the attempt to impose candidates on the party, most of which are his allies and cronies through which he intends to hijack the party structure in furtherance of his political ambition.
“The AGF must as a matter of urgency desist from his ploy to dictate to members of the APC how to elect and whom to elect at the national convention of the party. This is on the heels that should he continue in this fashion; there would be a torrent of litigation against the party after the national convention.
“We, therefore, demand the immediate resignation of Malami from office.
“Our firm position is that the APC as a party cannot afford the luxury of going into the 2023 general elections in a rancorous manner, which would eventually lead to the disintegration of the party and the consequent electoral defeat come 2023.”
Ahead of the 2023 general elections, the APC has been enmeshed in various crises with fears rising that this could jeopardise the chances of the party to retain power at the Federal level next year.
In January, some aggrieved members of the party dragged the Caretaker/Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee before a Federal High Court in Abuja over plans to hold a national convention in February.
The applicants prayed the court to restrain the Committee from going ahead with the convention because state congresses were yet to be completed in all 36 states of the federation.
In a bid to put out the raging fire within the party, state governors elected on the platform of the APC held an emergency meeting in Abuja in January to discuss issues surrounding the national convention and grievances of members calling for its postponement.
Worried that the internal wranglings within the APC could cause bigger problems, President Muhammadu Buhari in January said the party risked losing control of power at the national level in Nigeria if it failed to resolve all crises within its fold.
