This morning, I woke up to a video circulating on social media, showing former Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, SAN, making bold claims that his long commiseration convoy to Birnin Kebbi was attacked by APC thugs. I didn’t realise my mouth had fallen open in disbelief until someone called my attention to it.
Instinctively, I began scouring the internet to see whether the APC in Kebbi State had issued a rebuttal. But then I asked myself: do they even need to issue one? Anyone with half a brain should dismiss that video as nothing more than cheap politics that frankly does not deserve a serious response. In football, that video is what is called an own goal.
Yet, I find that I needed to write this, not because Malami’s allegations are convincing, but because his conduct is deeply disappointing. For a man I once had the misfortune of holding in some regard, this is a new low. I’m convinced that when people of conscience remain silent in the face of such brazen political games, they often end up living with the repercussions of their silence. Since I don’t want to be caught in this river of regret, I have chosen to set the record straight, if not for today, then at least for posterity.
First things first, that video confirmed what many already suspected: Malami is a political rookie. He has spent years immersed in law, but little or no time learning the art of politics. We all know that politics is an art that, at its best, is delicate, and at its worst, is dark and devious. Right now, Malami is conflating both hues of politics using a rookie’s wand. And that won’t fetch him anything good.
So, what Malami truly needs now is a period of quiet reflection and tutelage. He should take a political sabbatical of sorts and commit to learning the basic ropes of political engagement, or at least the type of grandstanding that can pass off as medium-danger politics. Fortunately for him, he does not need to search far for teachers, seeing that he has pitched tent with the likes of Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, a man well-versed in the dark arts of political brinkmanship within the ADC.
This is not to insult his person because capacity building is not reserved for the uneducated. Lifelong learning, after all, never goes out of style. While he’s at it, if there is one thing Malami must learn, it is that the practice of law does not seamlessly convert into the craft of politics. What I saw in that video was a man struggling to replace his legal expertise with a brand of political showmanship that is neither refined nor convincing.
Let us examine the crux of his allegation in that video. He claims that his convoy was attacked by thugs “housed at the APC headquarters in Kebbi.” Now, let us apply basic logic. Who in their right mind believes that a political party, if it truly wanted to unleash thugs, would parade them out of its national or state headquarters in broad daylight for everyone to see? It is as absurd as claiming that a bank robber left from a police station in full uniform.
And, more importantly, who are we even talking about here? Malami? Who would waste their time plotting an attack on a man whose political weight, to put it mildly, is yet to tip any meaningful scale in Kebbi? I think the man confuses the clout of the office he once held in Abuja to the real local politics of the state.
Now, let’s even examine the veracity of the attack. And the first question is: was there really an attack? Given Malami’s well-known history of allegedly ferrying “imported associates” to execute political errands outside their natural jurisdictions, who is to say this entire episode was not staged? What better way to score cheap points than to manufacture a crisis, cry foul, and then point fingers at the ruling party? Thank God the police have promised to unravel the truth.
I think the most obnoxious of all his claims was that he was in Kebbi on a condolence visit, a supposedly solemn journey, but with a convoy that could rival the president’s. Who does he want to fool? No surprises that he turned around to make a political circus out of it. But seriously, if the death of those he went to mourn, and the pain of the bereaved families meant anything to him, the last thing he should have done was transform their moment of grief into a political jamboree.
Yet, that is exactly what happened. A visit that should have been private, dignified, and focused on the bereaved became an opportunity for Malami to project his relevance, flaunt his fleet, and then cry victim when his miscalculation backfired. I reckon that if, indeed, there was any reaction from the locals, if the so-called attack was not manufactured by him; then it could well be an instinctive pushback against a man who came with noise instead of sympathy.
Instead of taking responsibility for that error in judgment, Malami has chosen to pin the blame on his political rivals, alleging a conspiracy where there is, at best, only local displeasure and, at worst, his own orchestration to blame.
Well, one thing I know as a bona fide indigene of Kebbi State is this: our people are not gullible. They are not sold on these cheap attempts at blackmail. Like me, they have likely seen this entire episode for what it is—a clumsy and desperate bid for relevance.
Word of advice: Ii Malami truly wants to venture into politics and even dare to contest the governorship in 2027, the first thing he must do is humble himself. He must make peace with the fact that he is a political rookie, one in need of serious tutelage, and begin the hard work of earning the people’s trust.
And even if he does succeed in mastering the craft of politics in its Nigerian definition – with all the compromises, alliances, and posturing it entails – he will still be left with the herculean task of convincing the people of Kebbi to abandon steady progress for childish outbursts and an uncertain future.
Let me conclude by stating categorically here, that Malami’s outburst is never an insult to the APC; but an insult to his own pedigree, his supposed intellect, and his understanding of the weight words carry in a fragile democracy. It is also a reminder that not everyone who has held high office is ready for the theatre of open politics.
And as we brace up for the months ahead, and the temperature of the political space rises, Malami will need to decide what he wants to be remembered for: a Senior Advocate of Nigeria who carried himself with dignity even outside the courtroom, or a man who squandered his reputation on cheap theatrics.
For now, the verdict among many of us is simple: his latest outburst was an own goal, and more damningly, a self-inflicted insult. What he does afterwards would determine whether he learns from his transgressions or goes down as the narcissist he is.