Saraki says Appeal Court ruling on Magu’s EFCC tenure vindicates him

ABUJA — A years-long quarrel between Nigeria’s federal lawmakers and one of its most talked-about anti-graft chiefs has resurfaced, after former Senate President Bukola Saraki said a Court of Appeal ruling on Ibrahim Magu’s prolonged stay as acting EFCC chairman has finally proved him right.

ValidViewNetwork can confirm that Saraki, who led the 8th Senate between 2015 and 2019, reacted almost immediately to the appellate court’s decision, describing it as confirmation that the Senate under his leadership acted lawfully when it twice declined to confirm Magu as substantive chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.

A rejection that outlived the 8th Senate

The roots of this fight stretch back to November 2015, when Magu was named acting chairman of the EFCC following the exit of Ibrahim Lamorde.

The Senate screened him twice, first in December 2016, then again in March 2017, and rejected his confirmation both times, citing a security report from the Department of State Services that questioned his integrity.

Findings show that Magu nonetheless continued to run the commission in an acting capacity for years afterward, a situation that repeatedly drew court challenges from lawyers and civil society figures who argued that an unconfirmed chairman could not validly hold the office indefinitely.

The years of litigation

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According to reports gotten by ValidViewNetwork, the question of whether the Senate had the constitutional power to reject a president’s nominee for the EFCC’s top job, and whether Magu could keep acting in the role without confirmation, has been fought out in multiple courts over the years, from the Federal High Court in Abuja to, most recently, the Court of Appeal.

Saraki has long maintained that the 8th Senate “followed due process” and never pursued a personal vendetta against Magu, insisting that the burden of failure lay with the executive for not doing enough to build consensus around the nomination.

Magu himself was eventually removed from office in 2020 and has since faced separate scrutiny over the management of recovered loot under his watch.

ValidViewNetwork reports that the latest appellate pronouncement effectively lays to rest a dispute that shaped some of the most heated Senate proceedings of the last decade.

The verdict is being read in Abuja’s political and legal circles as a fresh affirmation of the National Assembly’s constitutional check on presidential appointments to key anti-corruption offices.

Reactions from the EFCC and from Magu’s camp are still being awaited as of this writing. ValidViewNetwork reports.