Senators Give Strong Conditions To Accept Magu For EFCC

Senators may have set three conditions for Ibrahim Magu’s confirmation as Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) chairman, as desired by President Muhammadu Buhari.

The three strong conditions are:

• A report from President Muhammadu Buhari containing a fact-sheet on how he arrived at his decision to re-present Magu;
• Withdrawal of security reports on Magu, which were presented to the Senate about six weeks ago by the Department of State Services (DSS); and
• 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, The Nation learnt, were set at a meeting of some senators last night to create fresh hurdles for Magu.

The Presidency is believed to be lobbying senators in a bid to get Magu cleared.

Some in President Buhari's kitchen cabinet are said to be reaching out to Senate President Bukola Saraki, principal officers and caucuses in the Upper Chamber.

Magu’s renomination has put pressure on the APC Caucus, which has 63 of the 109 senators.

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.”

Another source confirmed that three conditions had been set for Magu’s confirmation by some senators, particularly by those opposed to his candidacy.

Some senators are afraid that Magu will come after them once he's confirmed, especially due to their past corrupt dealings in their states before coming to Abuja as Senators.