By Soni Daniel

Legal practitioners of Niger Delta extraction have asked those opposed to the rising profile of the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, to give him a chance to discharge the duties assigned to him to be able to assist President Muhammadu Buhari in solving Nigeria’s challenges, rather than seek to draw him back with false accusations.

The legal practitioners under the aegis of “Niger Delta Lawyers’ Rendezvous”, made the plea in a statement he made available to Sunday Vanguard in Abuja by its President, Mr. Leo Ekpenyong.

The lawyers noted with dismay that with the speed and zeal with which some unscrupulous entities, individuals and sectional groups in the country were dishing out unjustified and unverified accusations against Malami over every issue, it was obvious that they were motivated by ulterior motives to pull the minister down, describing the act as devious and ungodly.

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Ekpenyong said: “Against the backdrop of the cacophony of irritant, spineless, arm-chair critics against AGF Abubakar Malami, we make bold to say that, “no weapon fashioned against him shall prosper”.

“We say that with confidence and faith in God because Malami’s leadership role as the chief law officer of the federation in keeping, maintaining and sustaining the sovereignty of Nigeria via strict adherence to the rule of law deserves commendation instead of condemnation. As a matter of fact, Malami’s traducers will fail again, because their unfair criticisms are at best, orchestrated barefaced lies laced with cheap blackmail for pecuniary and political gains by his enemies.

“We hasten to remind Malami’s enemies that as rightly captured by the war-time prime minister of the Great Britain, truth is incontrovertible, malice may attack it, ignorance may deride it, panic may resent it, but in the end, there it is”.

“We therefore urge enemies of progress and nay-sayers to live and abide by the truth as no degree of evil machinations against Malami and his office will succeed. On the flip side, with the fragility of the nation’s cohesion, it behoves all and sundry to rally around President Muhammadu Buhari and his able lieutenants to bring about the much needed positive transformation for the betterment of the citizenry,” Ekpenyong said.

While commending the leadership of the NBA for successfully hosting the conference with novel innovations that have added value to the legal profession, Ekpenyong advised media practitioners to imbibe, demonstrate, practise and sustain the invaluable ethics of the media in line with the vision of its founding fathers so as to help advance the cause of democracy and good governance.