RismadarVoice Reporters, May 10, 2026
Former Attorney-General of the Federation and governorship aspirant under the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Abubakar Malami, SAN, has criticised the Kebbi State Government over its response to his declaration to contest the 2027 governorship election.
In a statement issued on Sunday by his Special Assistant on Media, Mohammed Bello Doka, Malami accused the state government of resorting to personal attacks instead of addressing issues he raised concerning insecurity, poverty, healthcare and education in the state.
The statement, titled “Malami Sneezes and Kebbi State Government Catches a Cold,” described the government’s reaction as defensive and alleged that it failed to dispute statistics cited by the former minister during his declaration speech.
Malami listed several challenges facing the state, including what he described as high rates of out-of-school children, multidimensional poverty, child malnutrition and insecurity.
According to the statement, 67.6 per cent of children aged between six and 15 are reportedly out of school, while the net school attendance rate stands at 38 per cent.
The statement also cited UNICEF data indicating that over 88 per cent of children in the state live in multidimensional poverty.
Malami further alleged that 608 severely malnourished children died between January and September 2025, while malaria prevalence among children under five remained high.
He also accused the state government of failing to adequately address insecurity, including bandit attacks and kidnappings recorded between 2021 and 2025.
The former minister defended the economic policies of the administration of late former President Muhammadu Buhari, arguing that measures such as fuel subsidies, electricity subsidies and managed exchange rates helped shield Nigerians from severe economic hardship.
Malami further claimed that Kebbi State had received over one trillion naira through federal allocations, internally generated revenue, loans and grants in the last three years, but had little visible progress to show in critical sectors.
“A performing administration would highlight results rather than issue lengthy attacks on an aspirant,” the statement said.
The ADC governorship aspirant stated that his ambition was focused on restoring security, improving public education and healthcare, reviving agriculture and creating opportunities for youths in the state.
He maintained that the people of Kebbi State would ultimately determine the performance of the current administration based on the realities on the ground ahead of the 2027 elections.
