Magu: Senate summons Sagay over ‘derogatory remarks’

Senate on Wednesday summoned the Chairman, Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption, Professor Itse Sagay, SAN, on reports that he has been disparaging it over its decision to suspend action on consideration of list of 27 Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs) forwarded to it for confirmation by the President Muhammadu Buhari.

The Senate had taken the stance on RECs in protest against the resolve by President Buhari not to remove the acting Chairman of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ibrahim Magu, after it rejected his confirmation.

Reacting on the position by the Senate on the RECs, Professor Sagay, on Tuesday, referred to the Senate as childish and irresponsible in its decision.

Sagay was quoted as saying: “The Senate was filled with people of questionable character, who put their personal interest ahead of that of the nation, a situation that made its action against Magu not surprising to many Nigerians.”

The Deputy Senate Leader, Senator Bala Ibn Na’Allah, had called the attention of his colleagues to the alleged derogatory remarks from Prof. Sagay, urging the Senate to summon him to appear before the Committee on Ethics,
Privileges and Public Petitions anchored his motion on Orders 15, 16 and 18 of the Senate Rules, calling the attention of his colleagues to the Tuesday’s Punch newspaper publication captioned,‘Sagay, others kick as Senate
puts off RECs confirmation over Magu’.

Na’Allah said: ‘’I want Sagay to be invited to come and name the senators with questionable characters. If due diligence is followed,Sagay would not have been appointed as chairman. I, Bala Ibn Na’allah, is not of questionable character.

I don’t think there is any senator here who is of questionable character.

“There sits retired General Jeremiah Useni who spent most of his life time serving the government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

Sagay must be invited to appear before Ethics, Privileges and Public Petition Committee to name senators who are of questionable characters.

“There is no dispute as to the fact that today distinguished Senator Na’Allah is a senator. If somebody in the standing of Prof. Sagay made this comment, it means this Senate is under obligation to invite him to come and name the questionable people that fill this Senate. It is very important at this stage of our political development.”
The Senate Leader, Senator Ahmed Lawan, stressed the need for cordial relationship between the executive and legislature under President Buhari administration.

Lawan (APC Yobe North) said: “I believe that if there is anything that this administration needs is cordiality, a relationship between the legislature and the executive.

It therefore behooves on every presidential aides from ministers to the least in the ladder to behave responsibly
to encourage and sustain the very cordial relationship between the National Assembly and the administration.”