By Ezrel Tabiowo
Abuja
In a swift reaction, the Senate yesterday disowned Majority Leader, Senator Ali Ndume over his comment in some national dailies that the Senate did not reject the nomination of Acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Ibrahim Magu.
The Senate Majority leader after a meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa on Monday, had told state house correspondents that the upper chamber would reconsider Magu as a nominee if re-presented by the president.
But, the upper chamber yesterday, insisted that it had no intention of going back on its earlier decision Reached last week, to reject Magu’s nomination by the President following security report tendered by the Department of State Security (DSS).
The Department of State Security in a letter written to the Clerk of the National Assembly, Sani Omolori, expressed concerns that Magu’s confirmation by the Senate may compromise ongoing anti-corruption investigations at the commission.
However, the Senate spokesman, Senator Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi, while briefing newsmen yesterday, dismissed insinuations that the Senate may reconsider Magu’s nomination if re-presented by the President.
According to Senator Abdullahi, all comments attributed to the Majority leader in national dailies were his own personal opinion, and absolutely not the position of the Senate.
He said: “The 8th senate believes in its integrity, we uphold and promote the rule of law which is the basic thing about our democracy. We are committed to doing things differently to stabilize the polity in the collective interest of Nigerians.
“I would like to make the following clarifications: I’m holding the votes and proceeding of Thursday. We had two votes and proceeding because we had to go into joint session to receive President Buhari.
On Ndume’s comment, the Senate spokesman bluntly said, “the senate leader is the senate leader, but I am the spokesman. He can’t do my job and I can’t do his job. He is my leader but we have different responsibilities.”
“Occasioned by what he said, if people are making meaning from what he said, I am here to clarify. Nigerians are looking forward to all of us to take them out of recession,” he cautioned.
