Magu: Presidency receives letter from Senate, to renominate him

There were indications on Friday that the Presidency has received official communication from the Senate on the rejection of the Acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Ibrahim Magu, by the Red Chamber.
This was also as it was gathered that President Muhammadu Buhari may renominate Magu for the position based on the advice of his advisers, especially the Presidential Advisory Committee on Corruption, which is headed by Prof. Itse Sagay.
If renominated, this will be the third time Buhari will be sending Manu’s name to the Senate for confirmation.
The Senate on Wednesday rejected Magu as the substantive chairman of the anti-graft agency due to a damning report of the Department State Services.
But the Presidency,‎ through the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the President, Femi Adesina, said on Thursday that the Presidency will only respond to the non-clearance of Magu after it receives official communication in writing from the Senate. ‎
It was gathered that the letter from the Senate on the issue was received on Friday.
Sources said that Buhari had been advised to renominate Magu in order not to be seen by the international community and locally as having backed down on the fight against corruption.
This is more so now with the tacit backing Magu has received from Transparency International and Global Witness.
The two international bodies have invited Magu to London to speak at an international conference on money laundering and assets recovery on March 2.‎
It was equally gathered that Buhari has stepped into the perceived row between the DSS and the EFCC, which are both under the Presidency.
While the DSS wrote the report that nailed Magu in the Senate, the acting Chairman of the EFCC, during his grilling by senators on Wednesday said the fact that the secret police sent two letters on him to the Senate in 24 hours showed the kind of organization it was.
A source said: “The Presidency has stepped into the matter.
“But contrary to reports on Friday, there was no meeting or talk of any kind on the confirmation of Magu in the Presidential Villa.”
Some publications had speculated that there was a meeting called by Buhari after Friday’s Jump prayer to resolved the issue.
This was based on the fact that both Magu and the Director General of the DSS, Lawal Daura, were at the mosque in the Presidential Villa for their Friday prayer.
But a highly placed source in the Presidency said: “There was no meeting of sort.
“The men only came to pray and left thereafter.