Senate President, Bukola Saraki; Minority Senate Leader, Godswill Akpabio; and eight other Senators, have been barred from participating in the screening and re-confirmation hearing of Ibrahim Magu, for the position of substantive Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.
Recall, that Magu, the Acting EFCC Chairman, was re-nominated by President Muhammadu Buhari, and is scheduled to be screened by the Senate on Wednesday.
The warning to Saraki, Akpabio, and others, was made by Iniebhe Effiong, a Lawyer, in a statement he issued on Tuesday night.
Effiong, said the Senate President and 10 other colleagues, are ineligible to participate in the nomination hearing, and risk being in contempt of court if they do.
He explained that the Senate is aware of the pendency of a suit (No. FHC/ABJ/CS/102/2017) filed by anti-corruption activist, Raji Rasheed Oyewumi, against Saraki and 14 others, before Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court, Abuja.
Oyewumi last month, is seeking among other reliefs, the disqualification of Saraki from taking part in any capacity in Magu’s nomination hearing.
Oyewunmi, whose suit was filed on his behalf by Effiong, is challenging Saraki’s eligibility on account of his subsisting trial before the Code of Conduct Tribunal, given that Magu, the 15th defendant in the suit, coordinated and supervised the criminal investigation that led to the Senate President’s arraignment and ongoing prosecution.
On February 13, Justice Binta Nyako granted leave to Oyewunmi, upon a motion ex parte moved by Effiong, to effect service of the processes in the suit on Saraki, 10 colleagues at the Nigerian Senate, National Assembly Clerk, and the Senate, by delivering such to the Clerk of the Senate.
