The Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami has said that the case challenging the citizenship of ex-Vice President Atiku Abubakar started in 2019.
Malami in a statement issued on Wednesday by his spokesman, Dr. Umar Gwandu, said he did not institute the case, noting it was filed by a civil society organisation – the Incorporated Trustees of Egalitarian Mission for Africa.
According to Malami, the matter was part of an election case that started in 2019.
“Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, has not instituted legal action on the citizenship or otherwise of the former Vice-President, Federal Republic of Nigeria, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar,” the statement partly read.
“Malami has never filed any case before any court in the country challenging the citizenship of the former Vice President Atiku Abubakar.
“The matter in contention was part of the 2019 pre-election matters instituted by a civil society organisation – the Incorporated Trustees of Egalitarian Mission for Africa in suit no: FHC/ABJ/CS/177/2019 in respect of which Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, Peoples Democratic Party Independent National Electoral Commission and the Office of the Honourable Attorney General of the Federation was made a co-defendant.”
“I didn’t file suit against Atiku’s Citizenship – Malami.”