Buhari reportedly under pressure to sack AGF Malami, NNPC Baru ahead of 2019

macfranc007 September 03, 2018 Nigeria News today & Breaking news ▷ Read Naija news 24/7 Wale Akinola

- President Muhammadu Buhari is reportedly under pressure to sack AGF Abubakar Malami and NNPC boss, Maikanti Baru ahead of 2019 elections

- Vice President Yemi Osinbajo fired former director general of DSS, Lawal Daura over illegal invasion of National Assembly when he the acting president

- It was gathered that Malami's problem started when he gave advice to IGP on the interim report on Offa bank robbery which indicted the Senate president Bukola Saraki

There are indications that President Muhammadu Buhari is under pressure to sack the attorney general of the federation and minister of justice, Abubakar Malami, group managing director of Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Maikanti Baru, the chief executive officer of Nigerian Sovereign Investment Fund (NSIA), Uche Orji, and a number of other influential technocrats in his government.

Vanguard reports that the move, alleged to have been promoted by a senior presidency official, is designed to culminate in the formation of a brand new team of technocrats and politicians who will take over these and other strategic institutions and agencies of government.

NAIJ.com gathered that the perceived sins of the managing director of NSIA is his assumed closeness to the chief of staff to the president, Mallam Abba Kyari.

It was gathered that the belief of the plotters that the sack of Orji would also weaken the chief of staff and put him on the line of fire.

According to Vanguard, a highly reliable source who was at the meeting, disclosed that there was also a plan to launch a campaign against them soon.

The source said the move is aimed at gaining influence in the president's campaign team ahead of the 2019 election.

It was unclear whether President Buhari or his Vice, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, was aware of the plot, but highly placed officials of the Buhari administration are said to be involved.

A source argued that it would be naive for anyone to think the senior presidency official, whose aide was available at the meeting, had no knowledge of such high-stake plot.

The newspaper reported that there had been an ongoing media attack on Malami who had been accused of shady deals in the handling of the repatriation of funds said to have been looted by the family of the late General Sani Abacha.

His legal advice to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), on the prosecution of suspects in the $1.1 billion Malabu scandal was also twisted to mean an advice to discontinue the trial.

His advice to the Inspector General of Police on the interim report on Offa bank robbery which indicted the Senate president, Bukola Saraki, to do more investigations was also wrongly interpreted in the media as a legal clearance for Saraki.

The AGF had had to make clarifications on these subjects several times to put the record straight.

It would be recalled that Orji was first appointed in October 2012 for a term of five years, renewable for another term. He was re-appointed October last year for another term of five years.

Femi Adesina, spokesman of the President, who announced the reappointment, said the NSIA under Orji’s leadership made "remarkable strides and its assets now stand at over $2 billion, which is invested in Nigerian infrastructure, economic stabilisation and future generation funds.’’

There had also not been any love lost between Baru and the minister of state for petroleum since the appointment of the latter, culminating in the scandalous leakage of a private memo to the president.

Some analysts in the know of the plot have also argued that those behind the plot may actually be moles in the administration who are working against President Buhari’s re-election bid.

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They reasoned that it could not have been mere coincidence that Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), had intensified attacks on the NNPC and Baru in recent days.

Meanwhile, NAIJ.com had previously reported that

Buhari to contest for presidency in 2019! - on NAIJ.com TV