Former Senate President, Bukola Saraki, has said the Court of Appeal judgment declaring Ibrahim Magu’s prolonged tenure as acting chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) unlawful has vindicated the position taken by the eighth Senate under his leadership.
The Court of Appeal in Abuja on Monday overturned a 2019 Federal High Court judgment which had upheld Magu’s continued stay in office despite the Senate’s rejection of his nomination as substantive EFCC chairman.
Magu had served as acting EFCC chairman from November 2015 until July 2020, when he was suspended by then-President Muhammadu Buhari.
Reacting to the judgment on Tuesday, Saraki said the Senate’s rejection of Magu was not politically motivated, as some had alleged at the time, but an exercise of its constitutional responsibility.
He said the eighth Senate had rejected Magu’s nomination twice in 2016 and 2017, yet he remained in office as acting chairman until July 2020 without Senate confirmation.
The former Senate president said the decision attracted criticism at the time, but maintained that the Senate had acted within its constitutional powers.
“At the time, some called our decision political. It wasn’t. We were simply exercising our constitutional duty and standing by what was right. 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 terrorise us. Doing what was right came at a huge personal and public cost,” he alleged.
The former senate president said the Court of Appeal judgment had now reinforced the position taken by the eighth Senate, adding that he felt vindicated by the ruling.
Saraki said the development showed the importance of standing by one’s convictions while serving in public office, even when such positions attract criticism.