Senators move against Ndume over DSS’ letter on Magu

Media reports that the Department of State Services (DSS) sent two letters to the senate on the acting chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission have sparked a big row in the Senate, with some senators collecting signatures to remove Senate Leader Ali Ndume.

In one of the letter dated October 3, 2016 and sent to the Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly Matters, Senator Ita Enang, the DSS is said to have accused Magu of some infractions, but went ahead to ask that the Senate could give him the benefit of the doubt.

“In the light of the ongoing, Magu’s integrity may be in doubt. Nonetheless, in view of his-achievements since assumption of office in acting capacity, it may be expedient to give him benefit of doubt and be considered,” the letter reads.

In the other letter addressed to the clerk of the Acting Clerk to the National Assembly, Mohammed Sani-Omolori, the contents of the report were almost the same except that the DSS recommended that Magu should not be considered as his confirmation fot the EFCC top job will impact on the anti-corruption dribe of the president.

Both letters have now pitched senators amongst each other as some of them is suspecting foul play.

“We sensed that something was wrong because such letters ought to be addressed to the President of the Senate. It was also strange that the letters came to the Senate through two channels. This is not our procedure.”

“The aggrieved senators also suspected some hidden agenda because only the letter which indicted Magu as unfit for the office was released to the public.

“Some anti-Magu senators were said to be unhappy with Ndume’s support for Magu which they consider not in tandem with the position of the Senate rejecting his nomination.

“A crisis of confidence has erupted and the anti-Magu senators last night were compiling the ‘sins’ of Ndume in order to pass a vote of no confidence on him by collecting impeachment signatures.

“But those sympathetic to Ndume said it will be impossible to remove the Senate Leader because he enjoys tremendous goodwill in the Senate.”

A senator said: “What else do they want Ndume to do? He is a Senator from Borno State and the man we are talking about is also from the state. He cannot fold his arms.

“Some Senators don’t even know that Ndume is just being patriotic. Magu is from the majority Kanuri ethnic group. Ndume is from a minority ethnic group in the state.

“If Ndume wants to be selfish, he would just distance himself from the travails of anyone from the majority ethnic group.”