The Senate has said it may reconsider its refusal to confirm the appointment of the Acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Ibrahim Magu, if President Muhammadu Buhari provides the necessary explanation for it to do so.
The lawmakers had on Thursday rejected Magu’s nomination by the President as the substantive chairman of the anti-graft agency based on a “security report” on him.
A security report by the Department of State Services, in which Magu was accused of various corruption-related offences, had caused the Senate to reject his nomination.
The Chairman, Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Senator Sabi Abdullahi, said on Friday that the lawmakers had taken their decision on the matter and it was left for Buhari to take the next step.
He said, “This is not an issue that is ambiguous and I will not take issue with anybody. What we have said is very straightforward and unambiguous. It is not our responsibility or in our power to tell Mr. President what to do.
“It is his prerogative and for every action taken, there must be a basis. Let him take any action but, of course, he will base his action on explanations. If that happens, we will take his explanations based on their face value and see. Until then, our decision is very simple. It is unambiguous; that is what we said from the beginning and that is what we stand by.”
