Malami admits his friends gave the cars to staff of NGOs he is associated with
By Jeph Ajobaju, Chief Copy Editor
Federal Attorney General and Justice Minister Abubakar Malami says it was his friends and associates who sourced the money for the 30 expensive cars distributed in Kebbi in support of his governorship aspiration.
He confirmed that the exotic cars – which include 14 Mercedes-Benz (GLK), eight Prado SUVs, four Toyota Hilux, and four Lexus LX 570 – were gifted to influencers promoting his agenda.
The funds for the cars were sourced by “the supporters of [two] associations … I am associated with ….,” he disclosed in Birnin Kebbi.
Malami had first acknowledged through his aide Umar Gwandu on Tuesday that “it was friends and associates of Malami who donated and distributed vehicles to long term workers in the Khadimiyya Foundation.”
But that only fortifies corruption in a country where President Muhammadu Buhari has pardoned former Governors Joshua Dariye (Plateau) and Jully Nyame (Taraba) who were jailed for stealing over N1 billion each of public funds.
Malami’s car gifts came less than a month after Bello Matawalle bribed traditional rulers in Zamfara with 260 Cadillac 2019 Model to facilitate his second term governorship bid in 2023. The luxury cars cost at least $9,046,700 (N3.76 billion).
Malami is being roundly condemned North and South over the car gifts, an abuse of his office from which he has refused to resign to pursue his governorship ambition.
He referred to the “barrage of attacks” in Birnin Kebbi but acknowledged that the cars were given to “the workers” of “Khadi Malami and Khadimiyya for Justice and Development Initiative I am associated with over time.”
_________________________________________________________________
Related articles:
Buhari as mini antiChrist wasting Nigeria
Malami joins contest for Kebbi governorship as APC favourite
Poor Zamfara gives $9.04m cars to traditional rulers
Matawalle says banditry won’t end soon in Zamfara
__________________________________________________________________
Malami’s explanation
“At this moment, I have experienced a barrage of attacks, left, right and centre, some are local and others international, an attack that has to do with an allegation that I shared many expensive vehicles to delegates of APC.
“As a person with some associates, neither I nor a friend of mine shared any vehicle to any delegate across the state,” Malami said, according to reporting the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) published by The Nation.
“Let me state categorically that some of the foundations, as Khadi Malami and Khadimiyya for Justice and Development Initiative I am associated with over time, have workers who have demonstrated a greater capacity in the development of the state.
“These associations have contributed immensely in poverty alleviation, provision of social amenities to remotest areas, empowering unemployed youth and women, as well as small and medium scale farmers and businessmen and women, among others, in the state.
“In appreciation of what the workers of the associations have been doing in the state and beyond, the supporters of the associations, collectively and individually, decided to solicit for support from well-meaning Nigerians that have been supporting the NGOs in order to reward those that have been manning the affairs of the NGOs.
Meeting with Kebbi APC stakeholders
“I know I had an interactive session with APC stakeholders some days ago and had accepted calls from Kebbi people to run for the state governorship; the meeting was not for distribution of vehicles to any APC stakeholder.
“None of the APC stakeholders or delegates in Kebbi State was given any vehicle by me, and I have not yet donated any vehicle to any delegate.
“The mischief makers can contact the National Secretariat of the APC, get the lists of all the APC stakeholders and delegates in Kebbi State.
“You too can do an investigative story to reach out to them, then you will realise how fictitious the claim is.
“There is no connection between the names of APC stakeholders and the beneficiaries of the vehicles and are not connected whatsoever.”
