Barring last minutes change, Senate President Bukola Saraki will today Tuesday read President Muhammadu Buhari’s letter, re-nominating the acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ibrahim Magu for confirmation as substantive chairman of the commission.
Sources told our correspondent that the President’s letter had been sent to the Senate President.
While one of the sources said the name of Magu who was rejected in December by the Senate was resubmitted by President Buhari alongside his vacation notice, another said it was submitted separately.
The source said the President submitted two letter one on Magu and the other on Secretary to Government of the Federation (SGF), Babachir David Lawal. The president pleaded with senators to reconsider their positions on Magu.
“As I’m talking to you, the two letters are with the Senate President. They will be read on the floor today, “he said, pleading anonymity.
Babachir was indicted by a panel of the Senate, chaired by Senator Shehu Sani (APC, Kaduna) over misappropriation of funds of the Presidential Initiative on North East (PINE). The Senate requested for the sack of the SGF.
Magu was rejected over the report of the Department of State Services (DSS) that indicted. The rejection of Magu by the Senate led to removal of Senator Ali Ndume as Senate leader.
Ndume had faulted the rejection of Magu who has been acting as the EFCC boss since November 2015 when Ibrahim Lamorde was removed.
The request for Magu’s confirmation was first submitted to the Senate in June last year by Vice president, Professor Yemi Osinbajo when he was acting President.
A ranking Senator said he was told before President Buhari travelled out of the country that Magu’s name had been resubmitted.
“My friend in the Villa jokingly told me that Buhari’s communication on Magu’s renomination had been sent to us. I haven’t seen it,” he said in a phone interview.
Contacted the spokesperson of the Senate, Senator Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi said he had no idea about the letters.
In a report by The DEFENDER following the rejection of Magu’s nomination in December 2016, a retired General, Major General Abdullahi Martins had wondered querying if it was the Senate that was closer to intelligence reports or the President that definitely would have perfected his findings on Ibrahim Magu before sending his nomination for confirmation as Chairman of the EFCC in the first place.
Others that spoke on the Senate’s rejection of Magu at that time included the Head of Chambers, S. A. Shitta-Bey and Co, Barrister Imran Dapo Shitta-Bey, Coordinator of Nigerian Movement for Positive Change (NMPC), UK/Nigeria, Barrister Niyi Aborisade and Chairman, Lagos State Chapter of the Nigerian Women Journalists (NAWOJ), Hajia Sekinah Lawal. They all expressed beliefs that if Mr. President was sure of he did his underground work before the first transition of the confirmation request that he would represent Magu’s name and that the Senate would have no choice than do the needful.
