The Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, on Tuesday, broke silence on the allegation that he spearheaded the recall, promotion and posting of the embattled former chairman of the Presidential Task Force on Pension Reform, Abdulrasheed Maina, to the Ministry of Interior.
While speaking exclusively to Vanguard, Malami, who grudgingly spoke last night, said he would rather respond to the avalanche of allegations against him when he formally appears before the Senate, which had summoned him to speak on his role on the entire saga.
Malami, who did not make reference to anyone, nonetheless, described the allegations made against him as 'a grand conspiracy and mischief' but did not explain who the conspirators were and what the mischief was.
Pressed to clear himself of the weighty allegations, Malami said: "I am a legal practitioner, who is always guided by law and public interest and will therefore not do anything that deviates from the law or breaches public interest.
"I believe that Nigerians are entitled to know the truth in the entire saga and I am ready to speak directly to them when I appear before the Senate since I have been summoned by the legislature, which is investigating the matter.
"I will not however talk until I get clearance from my principal on the matter and I look forward to addressing anxious Nigerians on the matter when I appear before the Senators," the minister said.
Meanwhile, details of how the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Malami, bypassed the Head of Service of the Federation and used the Chairman of the Federal Civil Service Commission to reinstate the wanted chairman of the defunct Presidential Task Force on Pensions Reforms, emerged last night.
Top federal officials conversant with how the AGF got Maina back into the federal service after he had absconded for over three years, described Abubakar Malami's action in the recall and promotion of Maina as desperate and a breach of known public service rules.
It was learned that in his desperate bid to return Maina to his post, Malami wrote two memoranda to Oyo-Ita to recall Maina based on the lame argument that no court of the land had convicted him of any offence but the woman ignored him since she was sure the chief law officer had breached established rules of the civil service.
A top source with inside knowledge of the matter said yesterday that Malami did not only recommend Maina's recall, but also cleared him of any wrong-doing, thereby paving the way for the FCSC to recall him.
"Look, go and read the letter recalling Maina and you will see that it emanated from the Federal Civil Service Commission and not the Office of the Head of Service of the Federation because Mrs. Oyo-Ita snubbed Malami's two requests to recall the wanted man," a senior government official said.
"It was after Oyo-Ita had questioned and rejected Malami's two letters asking for the reinstatement of Maina, that the Justice Minister turned to the FCSC for assistance to get his desire accomplished."
"That was why Maina's letter of reinstatement dated September 18, 2017, and signed by one Mustapha L. Sulaiman for the FCSC chairman, was written from the FCSC, even without an input from the HoS," the official said.
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