We Did Not Reject Magu As EFCC Chairman, Says Ndume

By Andah John with agency report

The Senate did not reject the confirmation of Acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Ibrahim Magu.

Majority Leader Ali Ndume made the submission. He said rather security report from the Directorate of State Security (DSS), which bordered on allegations of corruption, prevented the Senate from going ahead with the confirmation

Ndume was responding to questiobns from reporters shortly after he met with President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday.

He insisted that the Senate did not reject Magu, adding that “when we slated his confirmation for that Thursday, we could not go ahead because we have a letter from the DSS that we could not ignore and which could not allow us to continue with the confirmation.”

Ndume further said until there are clarifications on the DSS report, the upper house cannot confirm Magu as EFCC boss.

But he declined to disclose when it would reconsider Magu’s confirmation.

Senate Leader’s clarification

In his words, “We specifically asked the chairman media to issue a statement. What we said on that Thursday was that the Senate could not go ahead with the confirmation of Magu. And that we are in possession of a letter from the Department of State Service, which requires clarification from Mr. President, who is the head of the government. That was what happened.”

On the alleged call for the sack of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), David Babachir, Ndume said it was not an order from the Senate.

“the Senate resolution is a recommendation, it’s not a law. What the Senate considered is work in progress because it was an interim report. It is the same public that is interested and worried to know what we have done as a Senate about those allegations.

“The committee issued an interim report and the interim report seemed to indict the SGF. The consequence of that indictment is what they recommended but we are not there yet because the report itself is interim.”