A presidential investigative panel set up a week ago to probe a four-year-old stack of allegations against the EFCC acting boss Ibrahim Magu ordered him to Aso Rock where he was grilled for six hours Monday night is barking the wrong tree.
That is the submission of another presidential committee advising President Muhammadu Buhari on his government anti-corruption fight.
The contradiction has further highlighted the presence of many silos and power blocs within the presidency.
And those close to the administration’s anti-corruption drive believe the Appeal Court President Justice Ayo Salami-led panel is doing the bidding of one of the blocs whose prominent member s AGF/Justice Minister Abubakar Malami.
Prof Femi Odekunle, a member of the Prof Itse Sagay-led Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption, has asked Buhari to wake up.
He said PACAC is not against the government dealing with Magu if he’s guilty of corruption, citing the committee antecedents, including its recommendation for the removal of former SGF Babachir Lawal alleged to have diverted refugee relief funds.
“We are saying that President Buhari must be careful not to shoot his anti-corruption fight on the foot because without Magu in EFCC I do not think there would be much concerning our anti-corruption fight,” said Odekunle
According to him, the AGF is no stranger to PACAC, as an advisory body in the presidency. “Malami is not really committed to the anti-corruption fight. To us, he must be allegedly exploiting his loyalty and closeness to Buhari for his own personal or peer-group interest,” he told the newspaper. “What about the PIIB case that had been on since 2015? He did not bring it up until it blew up.”
As far as PACAC is concerned, this Magu row is a shenanigan.
“Chief of Staff to the President, Prof Ibrahim Gambari should come to play here and give proper advice to the President. The PACAC is not pleased with the attempt to rubbish the man,” he said.
Magu was rejected twice for confirmation during the Senate eighth assembly, and since them his name has not been resubmitted for confirmation as a substantive EFCC chair since his appointment in 2016.
Critics have always insisted Buhari doesn’t have the foggiest idea of the upheavals and conspiracies rocking his government and even the entire country.
Aondoakaa Ephraim Bem
July 7, 2020 at 1:33 pm
Exactly i once said this on my Facebook page that Malami is not with Nigerians at heart,he is fighting Magu because of his selfish benefits and reasons to me i stand with Pacac,why is he shielding those army officers that killed the IGP’s team in Taraba State on the arrest of the kidnap kingpin he should know that he does not own Nigeria as a country rather Nigeria own him as a person and he will one day leave that position.
Samm AKENAWE.
July 7, 2020 at 2:37 pm
The AGF and his evil associates in the DSS are playing an ugly game against the success of Mr President in the fight against corruption. My steak is that the AGF should be keenly investigated….. how many cases he has taken over from the EFCC and nothing is again heard about those cases. Ibrahim Magu’s removal will be celebrated by the AGF and his co-criminals. Mr. President, you are not appointed by AGF, you are elected by the masses… listen to the masses crying.
Engr. Garkuwa K. Gizaki
July 7, 2020 at 3:11 pm
I don’t believe in the saying that without Magu in the EFCC the unticorruption war will fail. If by the will of the Almighty God Magu happens to be no more will EFCC cease to be? If he is removed today God can raise someone that can perform better than him. Let us wait for the outcome of the investigation before being sentimental, please.