Senators have set fresh conditions that must be met before Ibrahim Magu is confirmed as EFCC chairman
- The conditions were set by some senators, particularly by those opposed to Magu’s candidacy
- But the presidency is reportedly lobbying senators in a bid to get Magu the job
Senators opposed to Magu’s candidacy have set fresh conditions that must be met before he is confirmed as EFCC boss.
Senators have set three conditions President Muhammadu Buhari must meet for the confirmation of Ibrahim Magu as chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
According to the Nation, one of the conditions is a report from President Buhari containing a fact-sheet on how he arrived at his decision to re-present Magu.
The second is a withdrawal of security reports on Magu, which were presented to the Senate about six weeks ago by the Department of State Services (DSS).
And the third is satisfactory performance by Magu before the Senate committee on anti-corruption and financial crimes, which has been mandated to screen him. Magu must clear himself of all allegations before the committee.
The three conditions were set at a meeting of some senators on Tuesday night, January 24, to create fresh hurdles for Magu.
The conditions were reportedly set by some senators, particularly by those opposed to Magu’s confirmation, a source said.
But the newspaper reports that the presidency is believed to be lobbying senators in a bid to get Magu the job, as members of the kitchen cabinet of Buhari are said to be reaching out to Senate president Bukola Saraki, principal officers and caucuses in the upper chamber over the issue.
Speaking on the controversy surrounding the confirmation of Magu, a senator, who spoke in confidence, said: “I must admit that Magu’s confirmation is still an issue among us. We have some senators for and against.
“At the Executive Session, we had a disagreement on whether or not the Senate President should read the President’s letter of renomination of Magu or not.
“After a bit of argument, the leadership accepted the wish of the majority to read it. We are now faced with the confirmation process.”
A senator from the northwest said the Senate will confirm Magu if the DSS could withdraw the security report it had earlier sent to the Senate.
He said in the face of the law and going by legislative business, the DSS report is still valid.
Another senator said: “Once the President sends a comprehensive report on how Magu was cleared of all the allegations against him, we will not waste time in confirming him as the fourth EFCC chairman.
“In fact, if we get a brief from the President superseding the DSS report, we will confirm Magu. Our concern is that all these allegations have to be cleared for posterity.”
However, a source said there was intense lobbying for Magu by some associates and members of the President’s kitchen cabinet.
“The lobbying has started all over again but this time around the Presidency is not standing aloof. “Some key figures in the Presidency, including some ministers, have been pleading with senators on Magu’s confirmation, “a senator from the Northeast added, also stressing that he should not be identified," the source said.
Recall that president Muhammadu Buhari gave his reason for re-presenting the name of acting chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for the top job in a letter to the Senate on Tuesday, January 24.
Leadership reported that the president said he wanted the momentum in the fight against corruption to be maintained.
The president said this in a letter sent to Senate and read by Senate President Bukola Saraki. He noted that necessary “administrative steps” were taken to arrive at the decision.
