•••Says, Actions Self-serving, Fraudulent
The Nigerian Governors’ Forum (NGF), on Wednesday, hit the Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, saying he lied against them in his comments that their stand on the proposed deductions of $418 million from the Paris Club refund, was the ranting of noising makers.
The governor stated that all the claims made by the AGF were lies adding that his actions were self-serving and fraudulent.
They vowed to pursue the matter to the highest court of the land.
Recall that Malami had at the State House Ministerial Briefing organized by Presidential Communications Team, said that the governors created the liability whose payment they had also indemnified, therefore all the “noise making that is now being generated arising from the Governors forum” is unjustified.
Reacting to Malami’s assertion, in a communique released by the governors after their meeting, the Governor of Ekiti State, Kayode Fayemi, said:
“Governors extensively reviewed the purported attempts by the Attorney General of the Federation and the Minister of Finance, to circumvent the law and a recent judgment of the Supreme Court to secure the approval of the federal legislative council to effect illegal payment of a sum of $418 million to contractors who allegedly executed consultancy in respect to the Paris Club refund, to state and local governments.
“The forum set up a committee comprising the chairman, the governor of Ekiti state, the vice chairman, the governor of Ondo State, the governor of Plateau State, the governor of Nasarawa state, and the governor of Ebonyi State to interface with the committee set up by Mr. President to review the matter.
“But the position of the Governors’ Forum is unequivocal. Although this matter is subjudice and we are very reluctant to get in the way of a matter that is still being pursued in court.
“We’re constrained by how the honorable attorney has been going around various media houses and purporting to create the impression that this is a liability to which governors had committed themselves to and agreed to, even though he is very much aware that that’s not the case.
“And we reject all of the claims that he has made on this issue. And we also insist that the state will not give up on insisting that these purported claims are fraudulent and will not stand as far as governors are concerned and we would take every constitutional and legal means to ensure that these purported consultancies are fully litigated by the highest court in the land.
“If the courts now fine governors, and the Nigerian governor’s forum and state liable, then we will cross that bridge when get there.
“As far as we’re concerned, this is a matter that governors feel very strongly about and we do not believe that the Attorney General of the Federation is acting in the public interest, we believe he is acting in person, a selfish interest that will ultimately become clear when this matter is fully addressed, in the law court.”
On the ongoing strike action embarked by the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, the governors appealed to both parties to sheath their sword and reach an amicable resolution.
