You Can Lobby For Magu or Send Fresh Nominee, Saraki Tells Buhari

– Saraki tells Buhari to lobby or present new nominee for the EFFC’s chairmanship seat.

– He says the Senate has the constitutional powers to confirm or reject a ministerial nominee.

Senate President Bukola Saraki, says President Muhammadu Buhari, has the right to lobby for the confirmation of the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ibrahim Magu or send a fresh nominee to the Senate.

During the induction of incoming lawmakers-elect held at Transcorp Hilton Hotel Abuja and response to the impasse over the confirmation of the EFCC chairman on Monday, Saraki, who is the leader of the National Assembly explained that President Buhari can present a new nominee or deploy a political solution namely lobbying the upper chamber for its preferred candidate in a situation where the candidate has been rejected.

The first lecture of the day which was about the “Overview of the National Assembly Structure, Functions and Inter-Parliamentary Relations”, presented by M.A. Sani Omolori, the Clerk of the National Assembly (CNA), and Saraki, served as the Chairman of the session.

He further stated that the Upper Chamber has the constitutional powers to confirm or reject a ministerial nominee which he says is written in the constitution.

Recall that the Senate had earlier rejected the nomination of Magu as EFCC Chairman three times on the basis of a report by the Department of State Services (DSS).

The situation has led Magu to be in an acting capacity as EFCC Chairman for nearly three years.

Speaking further in a statement through Olu Onemola, his Special Assistant on New Media, Saraki said he never made a negative statement about Magu.

On court cases surrounding confirmations, the Senate President clarified that there are currently over 12 cases in the Nigerian courts about the role of the Senate in the confirmations process.