The rift between the Presidency and the National Assembly yesterday assumed a chronic dimension following a letter from the President which, aside re-renominating the embattled Acting Chairman of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ibrahim Magu, for confirmation by the Senate, also dismissed and rejected the recommendation by Senate that the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Babachir Lawal, be sacked for corrupt practices.

This impending collision between the two arms of government became manifest when the Senate, immediately after resuming plenary yesterday went into an executive session, apparently to discuss the renomination of Ibrahim Magu for confirmation and exoneration of the SGF by the President.

To this end, the Senate after the executive session yesterday, said the letter from the President did not address the security report raised by the Senate, adding that it still stand by the interim report indicting the SGF even though it was an interim report because it was the position of the majority of the senators on the ad hoc committee on north east corruption.

The Spokesperson, Abdulahi Sabi, who conveyed the position of the Senate, said the issue of fair hearing as raised by the President does not arise, adding that the Senate will brief Nigerians on its next line of action, particularly given that it has a constitutional mandate to investigate corruption.

Meanwhile, after the closed door meeting which lasted for about two hours, the senators who wore long faces, settled down for the day’s business.

The Senate President, Bukola Saraki, who presided over the plenary session, read the letter from the President Mohammadu Buhari, in which the President rather blamed the Senate for submitting to him, an interim report in which the Senate indicted Lawal.

He regretted that the report submitted to him was an interim report and not a final report which should have been presented to Senate at plenary for consideration and adoption.

President Buhari also said he cannot work with the report of the Senate because the interim report was signed by three rather than nine of the members of the committee and which he said questions the weight of the report as a minority report.

He said from his findings and revelations from the committee he set up to investigate the allegation, it appeared that the SGF was not invited to defend himself, equally as the company linked to him was not invited for their defense.

This, he said, does not meet with principles of fair hearing, adding that he is constrained to believe that the report does not put into consideration the principles of fair hearing, which his government upholds at all time.

Concerning Magu, President Buhari reminded the Senate of the critical role it has to play sustaining the anti corruption fight, adding that he is renominating Magu in cognizance of the security issues as raised by the DSS, and senate.

While urging the Senate to confirm Magu this time, he said the decision was taken after the report by the panel he set up under the Attorney General of the Federation, which investigated the allegation.

However, in his response, the chairman of the Senate committee that investigated the mounting humanitarian challenge in the north east, Shehu Sani, described the letter from the President as a funeral for anti corruption crusade of the present government.

He said as the chairman of the committee, he is shocked that such letter can come from the President, adding that the letter has shown how people in the presidency mislead the Predident into signing the letter they sent to the Senate.

According to him, the committee invited the SGF through an official letter and the letter was acknowledged, noting that they also paid for advert in four daily papers and specifically invited the SGF.

“That only three of the nine members signed the letter was a lie because seven persons signed the interim report”, he said, adding that his name was even omitted though he is the chairman of the chairman of the committee.

“One thing is clear from this letter, that is that the Presidency uses deodorant to fight the corruption in the Presidency, but uses insecticide in fighting the same corruption in the society”, Senator Sani said.

He advocated that the prisons across the country should be opened to allow both the convicts and awaiting trials to go home, given the dimension which the anti corruption fight has taken in recent time.

He reiterated that the committee invited all the relevant persons to come and defend themselves but they sent representatives who came with documents for defense but which did not exonerate those indicted in the report.

At this juncture, the Senate President told him to stop because the Senate is yet it open debate and consideration on the letter from the President concerning his exoneration of Magu and Lawal from the corruption charges. (Peoples Daily)

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