Senators in hot exchanges, reject Magu as EFCC boss

THE Senate, on Thursday, rejected the nomination of the acting chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ibrahim Magu, as the substantive chairman of the commission.

The development also resulted in hot exchanges and near exchange of punches by two senators, the Senate leader, Ali Ndume and Dino Melaye, before the official position of the Senate was made public.

President Muhammadu Buhari had, in July, nominated Magu alongside others to the board of the commission and forwarded their names to the Senate for confirmation.

But the screening and confirmation process had been dogged by controversy since the time, a development that prompted  protests at the entrance of the National Assembly in October and November.

But rising from a two and a half hours closed session on Thursday, the Senate resolved not to confirm Magu, but forwarded the names of other nominees to the committee on anti-corruption for legislative action.

Senate spokesman, Sabi Abdullahi, who briefed Senate correspondents, said  the red chamber had resolved not to confirm Magu as a result of adverse security reports.

The Senate, however, resolved to forward the names of other nominees, Nda Sule Moses, Lawan Mamman, Galandanci Imam and Adeleke Rafiu, to its committee on anti-corruption for consideration.

A press statement by Senate spokesman, Senator Sabi Abdullahi, after the closed session held to discuss the issue, indicated that the Senate rejected Magu’s nomination.

“The Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria wishes to inform the general public that based on security reports available it, the Senate cannot proceed and confirm the nomination of Ibrahim Magu Mustapha as the executive chairman of EFCC.

“Accordingly, the Senate hereby rejects the said nomination and has returned the said nomination to Mr President for further act,” the statement read.

This position was repeated by the Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki, after the session opened, when he put questions to senators on what transpired at the closed door session.

Magu had, last week, arrived at the Senate for screening, but could not be attended to as the lawmakers deferred the screening till Thursday.

Earlier in the day, a drama between Ndume and Melaye over the screening of Magu, as the duo came close to exchanging punches over the issue with the altercation extended to the entrance of the Senate chambers.

While Ndume is believed to be in support of the confirmation of Magu, Melaye was seen as vehemently opposed to it.

The development came as further details emerged as to the real reasons the Senate rejected the nomination of Magu as EFCC chairman.

In a report sighted by the Nigerian Tribune, the Department of State Service (DSS) had severally indicted the acting EFCC chairman in its report to the Senate and claimed that his confirmation would create a liability for the anti-corruption drive of the present administration.

Though it was learnt that the Senate had tapped President Buhari on sighting the report, with the president asking the lawmakers to do the right thing, the report expressly put paid to the chances of anti-graft chief.

The report, addressed to the Senate and dated October 3, 2016, claimed that Magu had been indicted by the Police Service Commission and was removed from the EFCC over an alleged misdemenour in the past.

The 15-paragraph report indicated that in 2008, the DSS conducted a search on Magu’s house while he was serving at the EFCC during the tenure of Mrs Farida Waziri as the chairman of the commission and allegedly found sensitive documents which were not supposed to be in his possession, adding that the development led to his detention and eventual redeployment from EFCC  to his original office at the Nigeria Police.

Following the redeployment, the report stated that the Nigeria Police further suspended him from the force.

The report also stated that the immediate past chairman of EFCC, Ibrahim Lamorde, had Magu returned to the EFCC, since he had worked with him (Lamorde) when he served as Director of Operations of EFCC.

The DSS alleged that the acting EFCC boss lives in  a rented apartment of N40 million at N20 million per annum, which is not paid by the EFCC.

He was also accused of cultivating the habit of flying first class against the directive of President Buhari and was said to have once flown first class to Saudi Arabia to perform lesser hajj.

Meanwhile, the Senate, on Thursday, directed its committee on Ethics, Privilege and Public Petitions to investigate what was described as uncomplimentary comments against the institution of the Senate, attributed to the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Mr Babachir David Lawal, in the media.

The Senate had, on Wednesday, passed a resolution seeking the investigation and resignation of Lawal over allegations of misappropriation of funds in respect of the contract award by the Presidential Initiative on North-East (PINE).

The SGF had been quoted as saying that the senators were talking “balderdash” and that their attacks on him were a calculated attempt to pull him down.

The lawmakers, on Thursday, denounced his outbursts and resolved to probe his comments.

The decision to further subject Lawal’s comments to probe was reached, following the adoption of a motion through a Point of Order raised by Senator Melaye, under matters of personal privileges based on the Senate Standing Orders 2015 as amended.

Melaye stated that his concern was the outcome from Thursday’s newspapers headlines  and online platforms, which reported Lawal’s reaction, describing senators as “talking rubbish,” noting that it was a cause for concern and unacceptable.

Deputy Senate Leader, Bala Ibn Na’Allah, in his own contribution, said the eighth Senate was irrevocably committed to President Muhammadu Buhari’s anti-corruption war, urging his fellow senators not to dignify the SGF’s utterances as they were not worth it.

He pointed out that Lawal would have done himself a lot of good if the time he dedicated to castigating the Senate was used to defend himself of the allegations against him.

The chairman of the Senate Committee on Anti-Corruption, Senator Chukwuka Utazi, insisted that  the issue could not be swept under the carpet, noting that Lawal could not be match for the Senate.

He said: “The Senate of the Federal Republic is a big masquerade and when big masquerades are performing, small mortals like the SGF must prostrate.”

However, the Senate President Bukola Saraki wondered why an appointee of the president would be rude to the Senate at a time his principal was seeking the hand of the legislature in fellowship in the interest of national development.

“The President (Buhari) came here yesterday (Wednesday) humbly telling us that he seeks our partnership, then how can his Secretary (to the Government of the Federation) say we are talking rubbish,” Saraki queried.

The Senate had, on Wednesday, called on the SGF to resign his position for contravening the provisions of the Public Procurement Act, 2007, and the Federal Government Financial Rules and Regulations on the award of contracts under the PINE.

The resolution followed the adoption of recommendations contained in an interim report of the Senate ad hoc Committee on Mounting Humanitarian Crisis in the North-East, which was considered at plenary.