Magu Tried To Terrorize Us, Court Ruling Vindicates 8th Senate – Saraki

Former Senate President Bukola Saraki has said the recent Court of Appeal judgment on Ibrahim Magu’s tenure as acting chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has vindicated the position taken by the eighth Senate under his leadership.

Naija News reported earlier that the Court of Appeal in Abuja had on Monday ruled that Magu’s prolonged stay as acting chairman of the EFCC was unlawful, overturning a 2019 Federal High Court judgment that had upheld his continued stay in office.

Reacting to the judgment in a post on his 𝕏 handle on Tuesday, Saraki recalled that the eighth Senate rejected Magu’s nomination as substantive EFCC chairman twice in 2016 and 2017.

Despite the rejections, Magu remained in an acting capacity until July 2020.

“Back in 2016 and 2017, the 8th Senate, under my leadership, rejected Ibrahim Magu’s nomination as substantive EFCC Chairman not once but twice. Still, he remained in office illegally until July 2020, without confirmation by the Senate,” Saraki stated.

Saraki said the Senate’s decision at the time was criticized by some people who believed it was politically motivated.

He, however, maintained that the lawmakers were only carrying out their constitutional responsibility.

“At the time, some called our decision political. It wasn’t. We were simply exercising our constitutional duty and standing by what was right,” he said.

The former Senate President also alleged that he, his colleagues, their families and associates faced what he described as attempts by Magu to ‘terrorize’ them because of the Senate’s position.

“My colleagues in the 8th Senate and I, as well as our families and associates, endured what I can only describe as attempts by Magu to terrorize us,” Saraki added.

The legal dispute over Magu’s continued stay as acting EFCC chairman began after his nomination was rejected by the Senate, Naija News reports.

Abuja-based lawyer Johnmary Jideobi had challenged Magu’s continued stay in office, arguing that he could not remain indefinitely as acting chairman after the Senate rejected his nomination twice.

The Federal High Court in Abuja had dismissed the challenge in a 2019 judgment, holding that the EFCC Act did not specify how long an acting chairman could remain in office.

Jideobi subsequently appealed the decision.

In its Monday judgment, a three-member panel of the Court of Appeal overturned the Federal High Court’s position and declared Magu’s prolonged tenure as acting EFCC chairman unlawful.

Magu served as acting chairman from 2015 until July 2020, when his tenure ended following his suspension by former President Muhammadu Buhari.

Saraki said the latest judgment had reinforced the position taken by the eighth Senate nearly a decade ago.

“Yesterday, the Court of Appeal ruled that Magu’s prolonged tenure as acting EFCC Chairman was indeed unlawful. Nearly a decade later, I feel vindicated yet again,” he stated.

Reflecting on the development, Saraki said the experience showed the importance of standing by one’s convictions while serving in public office, even when such decisions attract criticism.

“For those of us who have had the privilege of serving this nation, the deepest lesson in all of this is that time may test one’s conviction, but it always ultimately reveals the value of standing on principle,” the former Senate President said.