The President of the Senate, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki and other federal lawmakers are in a last minuet fight with the Acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Ibrahim Magu.
The 8th Senate, which mandate will expire early June once the 9th Senate is inaugurated, has concluded plans to remove anti-graft boss before leaving or make him ineligible for renomination to the incoming Assembly.
This is even as Senator Shehu Sani has already kicked against the amendment of the EFCC Act.
According to Sani, amending the EFCC Act if it is only for the purpose of upgrading the “qualification rank” of the chairman is needless.
The plan to remove Magu by Saraki is coming through the amendment of the Economic and Financial Crimes (Establishment Act) 2004.
Saraki and Magu have been having a running battle since 2008 when the Senate president used his influence to remove the EFCC boss from office then.
The battle continued when Magu was nominated as the anti-graft boss and was rejected by the Senate over report from the Department of State Services.
However, the lawmakers are seeking to amend the law barely 13 days to the expiration of the 8th National Assembly.
The amendment seeks to empower the President to appoint the EFCC chairman from a police chief not below the rank of an Assistant Inspector-General or equivalent in other security agencies.
If the amendment sails through, it will disqualify Magu from being re-presented to the 9th National Assembly by President Muhammadu Buhari.
Magu is a Commissioner of Police.
The amendment will be presented on the floor of Senate on Tuesday at the plenary session.
Another aspect of the bill makes it compulsory for the EFCC to obtain ex parte orders before seizing suspects’ assets.
The ex parte order clause will deny the EFCC the powers of invoking Interim Forfeiture Clause in its Act without recourse to the court.
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