Former Minister of Justice and ex-Attorney-General of the Federation, Dr. Abubakar Malami (SAN), has refuted claims made by Senator Umaru Tanko Al-Makura’s camp that the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) bloc within the All Progressives Congress (APC) had unanimously endorsed President Bola Tinubu for the 2027 election and ruled out leaving the party.
Speaking through his media aide, Muhammed Bello Doka, Malami stressed that only the original CPC bloc, which was formed around former President Muhammadu Buhari, has the authority to make such decisions—not Al-Makura and his associates.
“When you say CPC bloc, one needs to know who they are referring to. Is it the likes of Senator Umaru Tanko Al-Makura, Adamu Adamu, Masari and Faruku Adamu Aliyu who, a few months ago had been throwing Buhari under the bus, in desperate attempts to gain relevance that should decide for the bloc?” Malami asked.
He described the group’s endorsement as a personal move aimed at maintaining relevance in the APC, not a decision made by the wider CPC network.
Addressing speculation about his alleged move to the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Malami dismissed the rumour as baseless. “Malami is a prominent figure in Nigeria, therefore, cannot defect to any party in secret. He is still in APC but in broad consultations with different platforms. Until the consultations are over, it is premature to talk about defection or declaration of interest,” his aide said.
Malami reiterated that he remains politically active and will announce any future plans when appropriate. “Malami has right to belong to any political party and to contest any position in Kebbi State,” Doka added.
Earlier, Al-Makura, along with former Katsina State Governor Bello Masari, ex-Education Minister Adamu Adamu, and 20 others, issued a communique reaffirming their loyalty to APC and President Tinubu.
“We, the undersigned leaders and committed members of the former CPC… hereby issue this statement to clarify our unalloyed loyalty to our great party and express firm solidarity with the administration of President Bola Tinubu,” the statement read.
They also dismissed reports of internal discontent as “false, misleading and should be ignored,” declaring their full alignment with the APC leadership.
It should be recalled that APC National Chairman Abdullahi Ganduje recently visited former President Buhari in Kaduna, seeking his help to dissuade CPC loyalists from leaving the party. Buhari, however, maintained that individuals were free to join any party of their choosing.
