There are strong indications that President Muhammadu Buhari will re-nominate Ibrahim Magu as chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), to the Senate, for the third time.
Magu, who has served as the acting chairman of the anti-graft agency was screened by the Senate on Wednesday, March 1, but was rejected on the basis of an indicting report from the Department of State Services.
Special Adviser to President Buhari on media and publicity, Femi Adesina, had said that the president would respond to the rejection after the Senate duly writes him.
The Senate conveyed in a letter to Buhari on Friday, March 17 informing him of Magu’s rejection but that the president is planning to resubmit his name.
Sources said the president was ready to stand by Magu based on the suggestion of his advisers who indicated that doing otherwise would be tantamount to backing down in his anti-corruption fight.
This is also at a time Magu seems to have received backing from the international community as he was invited by Transparency International and Global Witness as he was invited to speak at an international conference on money laundering and recovery.
It was reported that the president had also stepped into the perceived row between the DSS and the EFCC considering it was the former that wrote the report that indicted Magu.
A source said: “The Presidency has stepped into the matter.
“But contrary to reports on Friday, there was no meeting or talk of any kind on the confirmation of Magu in the Presidential Villa.”