Acting President Yemi Osinbajo has backed acting chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ibrahim Magu, describing him as a “nightmare for corrupt people”.
The Acting President said this in Kaduna on Thursday, July 6, 2017, while he was commissioning a zonal office of the EFCC.
He was represented at the event by Kaduna state governor, Nasir el-Rufai.
The Acting President also declared that Magu will remain the chairman of the anti-graft agency, despite the fact that he has been rejected by the Senate two times.
He said, “We have confidence in Magu to fight corruption to a standstill. He will remain the EFCC chairman as long as I remain the acting president and as well as Muhammadu Buhari remains the president.
“It is our belief that Magu will continue to remain a nightmare for corrupt people for years to come.”
The Presidency has been at odds with the Senate over Magu’s appointment after he was kept on as acting chairman of the agency despite the Senate rejecting his appointment twice already.
This week, the Senate went on the war path with Osinbajo, declaring that it will neglect to honour any nomination sent to it by the presidency until the powers of the legislative arm are acknowledged.
This was after Osinbajo had, in reaction to Magu’s continued employment, said some executive appointments did not require legislative approval based on Section 171 of the Nigerian constitution.
Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed on Wednesday assured that the crisis between the Presidency and Senate would be resolved amicably, but Osinbajo’s defiant backing of Magu might just mean it isn’t about to go away.
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