Says it never rejected Magu ‘SSS submitted conflicting reports’
By Abdullahi M. Gulloma
Abuja
The ‘indictment’ of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir David Lawal, by the Senate may have caused some division among lawmakers in the upper chamber.
The body, in a report by its ad hoc committee on the humanitarian crisis in the Internally Displaced Persons Camps in the North-east, accused the SGF of using his company to award N220 million grass cutting contracts to himself.
The Senator Sheu Sani-led committee specifically submitted that, using the Presidential Initiative on North-east under his supervision, Lawal, through the company, allegedly cornered the sum via the contracts.
But speaking to State House Correspondents yesterday in Abuja, Senate Leader, Senator Ali Ndume, said the lawmakers did not indict the SGF, stressing that the Senate was yet to take any decision on the committee’s report.
Ndume said: “It’s not an order we are giving. The Senate resolution is a recommendation, it’s not a law. What the Senate considered is work in progress because it was an interim report.”
“It is the same members of the public that are interested and worried to know what we have done as a Senate about those allegations. The committee issued an interim report and the interim report seemed to indict the SGF.
“The consequences of that indictment are what they recommended but we are not there yet because the report itself is interim. Okay, we take the interim report and we give the public until the whole investigation is concluded.
“I heard, coming from the SGF that he has not been given a fair hearing. So, the hearing has not finished. We can give him an ample time to go before the committee and clear himself,” the lawmaker stressed.
On the fate of Ibrahim Magu, the acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ndume also said his confirmation bid was not rejected by the upper chamber.
Rather, he said, what the Senate did was to seek some clarification from President Muhammadu Buhari in respect of a report from the Department of State Service (DSS).
“No, no no. Let me say categorically that the Senate did not reject Ibrahim Magu as the chairman of EFCC. What happened was that when we slated his confirmation for Thursday, then we had an issue or a letter from the Department of State Security (DSS) that could not allow us to continue with the confirmation without further clarifications.
“So, we now concluded that since we have a letter that we cannot ignore, we cannot do the confirmation. So, it was not that we sat down to take a decision that we have rejected Ibrahim Magu. So, I want to say that to come out clearly,” he also explained.
Meanwhile, more issues are cropping up around the failed bid of Magu to scale the screening hurdle before the Senate over security report.
It’s reliably gathered that the State Security Service (SSS) sent two conflicting security reports to the National Assembly.
Although the two reports indicated Magu had some “integrity issues,” they, however, differed on their suggestion to the lawmakers on how to go about his confirmation.
Curiously, they were signed by same official, Folashade Bello, on behalf the SSS Director-General, Lawal Daura
For instance, one of the reports says, clearing the EFCC boss was dangerous for Buhari’s anti-corruption war, while the other okayed him as having done well to merit the substantive appointment.
Our findings revealed that the reports were dated October 3, 2016, with one addressed to the acting clerk of the National Assembly, Mohammed Sani-Omolori, while the other has the Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly Matters (Senate), Ita Enang as addressee.
The two documents were sent to the Senate President Bukola Saraki.
PREMIUM TIMES spoke to some three senators who spoke under anonymity so they are not accused of divulging proceedings at a closed session. They said both letters were read to lawmakers during the executive session held to decide Magu’s fate last Thursday.
“The two letters contain almost the same allegations against Magu, but they are different in the recommendations made. While the report addressed to Ita Enang was dated August 25, 2016, the one to the acting clerk was dated September 21, 2016. But both were signed by the same Folashade Bello on behalf of Daura,” ” one of the senators said.
Another lawmaker disclosed that in the letter written to Enang, the SSS stated that “although they found some adverse things in relation to Magu, he should be cleared given his excellent performance. They said he should be given the chance to run the commission.”
However, the senator said, the same SSS in the report addressed to the acting clerk about a month later, asked the Senate not to confirm Magu.
“That other report concluded by saying Magu is integrity-challenged and will constitute a liability to the anti-corruption stand of the Buhari administration. We can’t understand why the SSS cannot get its act together to issue a single report and make the same recommendation,” he said
A third senator told PREMIUM TIMES the Senate decided not to confirm Magu because of the two contradictory reports.
“It is our position that given the two confusing reports, it is only the president that can decide whether he still wants the man to run the EFCC or not. The ball is in his court,” he said.
Senate’s spokesperson, Senator Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi, had told journalists that the upper chamber decided against confirming Magu based on adverse security report from the SSS and that the Senate would write to the president intimating him of the decision.
Contacted yesterday for comments on the two contradictory reports the Senate received, Mr. Abdullahi said he would not join issue with anyone on the decision taken on the Magu affair.
“We have moral, legal and constitutional duties to vet nominees, and that is what we did. Every necessary administrative actions were taken,” Sabi said.
“What usually happens in every confirmation hearing was what took place. Whoever is not satisfied should explore other avenues to make his or her case. As far as we are concerned, we have done our job.”
In the reports, the SSS, among other allegations, accused Mr. Magu of benefitting from proceeds of fraud from an individual it (SSS) is prosecuting.
The agency alleged that the suspect, Umar Mohammed, who was a member of the presidential panel on arms procurement, paid the rent and furnished Mr. Magu’s official residence in the Maitama District of Abuja.
It also claimed that Mr. Magu used Mr. Mohammed’s private jets for trips outside Abuja.
A fact-check of the allegations by this newspaper indicates they were largely false.
The presidency said on Sunday that President Muhammadu Buhari has directed the Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, to investigate allegations of corruption against Mr. Magu and other officials of his administration accused of corruption.