Executive, legislature feud may worsen as senators target Osinbajo

Executive, legislature feud may worsen as senators target Osinbajo

The Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo may have drawn the wrath of senators over his comments on their insistence that the acting chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) Ibrahim Magu must be sacked.

Osinbajo during a digital interview within the week insisted that he is solidly behind President Muhammadu Buhari’s stand to retain Magu as head of the anti-graft body even though the Senate had rejected his nomination twice.

Osinbajo stated that government can keep Magu in acting capacity as long as it likes and does not need Senate approval to do that, despite the insistence of the upper chamber that he be sacked.

President Buhari had constituted a mediation committee chaired by Osinbajo to address the stand-off between the two arms of government, created by among other things the stand of the two arms of government on Magu.

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A number of Senators however feel Osinbajo’s latest comment will do little to ease the tension between both government arms. They stress that Senate is not likely to back down on its position on Magu, and that they are disappointed in Osinbajo’s comment, as it is bound to worsen the crisis between them and the presidency.

A senator who once said even though Magu is presented 1,000 times for confirmation, they will reject him, said “It is funny that the Vice President is saying this. As a professor of law, he should know this. And two, as the chairman of the peace committee, he shouldn’t have said this.

“His utterances will negatively affect the peace committee because one of the issues creating the feud is the confirmation of Magu. We are saying he should be replaced and he is saying, we are wrong. Let me tell you that even if Magu is presented for confirmation 1,000 times, we will reject him because he lacks the capacity to occupy that office,” he insisted.

Another senator noted, that VP Osinbajo was the one in the forefront of the crusade to confirm Magu as EFCC boss, and as such he is not surprised by the comment.

“I was not surprised when my attention was drawn to the report credited to the Vice President because from day one he has been in the forefront of the crusade for Magu’s confirmation. In fact, aside from sending Magu’s name for confirmation, all the campaigns for it have been from his office. We know this.

“As you know refusal of the executive to implement our resolutions is the bane of our relationship. Now he is saying this. How will he succeed? Will there be EFCC without an Act?”

According to him, Osinbajo has spoilt the slim chance of Magu at the Senate and the peace committee he chairs, as senators who were neutral over the Magu debacle, and who could have been easily swayed to support him now strongly against the corruption czar due to the vice president’s comment on the issue.

Meanwhile, as the two-week ultimatum they issued to Buhari to sack Magu has expired, there are indications that the lawmakers would soon meet to review their resolution on the issue which has not been attended to by the executive.

It was gathered that as soon as they return from their Easter break on April 25, the matter will be tabled before senators at an executive meeting

As part of efforts to force Buhari to sack Magu, the Senate had refused to confirm the appointment of Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs) of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) sent to them by the presidency.

The All Progressives Party (APC) led by its national chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun had met with the Senate APC caucus in effort to douse the growing tension between both arms of government. However, the feud still lingers, especially over the insistence of both sides to have their way on the Magu issue.