Magu's rejection was premeditated - Ndume

Author: Omotayo Yusuf

- Senator Ali Ndume faulted the rejection of Magu as EFCC chairman

- He said President Buhari should re-nominate him

- The senator noted that he has already been cleared by the attorney-general of the federation

Senator Mohammed Ali Ndume has revealed that the rejection of Ibrahim Magu as chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) was premeditated.

Magu was screened by the Senate on Wednesday, March 15 but was rejected on the basis of a report from the Department of State Services (DSS).

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Guardian reports that Senator Ndume however insisted that considering Magu had been cleared by the Attorney General of the Federation, President Muhammadu Buhari still has a right to re-nominate him.

The former Senate leader said Magu had committed no infraction contrary to the allegations leveled against him by the DSS.

He said his support for Magu to continue to head the EFCC was not because he had any personal interest in him, but because of the need to sustain the momentum on the anti-corruption battle he has been fighting.

Ndume advised the president not to compromise in his anti-corruption fight which is why he should strongly stand with Magu.

He also faulted the voice vote employed by the Senate President, Bukola Saraki which led to Magu’s rejection

He said the Senate president should have deferred voting on Magu to another legislative day after he had been screened.

Ndume noted that the Senate wrote to the DSS to demand for an advisory on Magu just a day to his scheduled screening which was an indication that it was premeditated.

“As a Senate, our job is limited only to confirmation of nominees. We are not supposed to investigate anybody. We are not supposed to be a court. The tradition is that if there is a nominee before us, Senators from that state will take a position and that is the first hurdle.

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Ndume lamented that the All Progressives Congress failed to intervene on the issue of Magu by calling for a meeting of the party’s Senate caucus.

He said there was a disconnect among its members in the Senate on the issues at stake.

Meanwhile, there are reports that President Buhari will re-nominate Magu as chairman of the EFCC for the third time.

Femi Adesina who is the special adviser to President Buhari on media and publicity had said that the president would respond to the rejection after the Senate duly writes him.

Today reports that the Senate conveyed in a letter to Buhari on Friday, March 17 informing him of Magu’s rejection but that the president is planning to resubmit his name.

Sources said the president was ready to stand by Magu based on the suggestion of his advisers who indicated that doing otherwise would be tantamount to backing down in his anti-corruption fight.

This is also at a time Magu seems to have received backing from the international community as he was invited by Transparency International and Global Witness as he was invited to speak at an international conference on money laundering and recovery.