Activist wants court to bar Saraki, Oduah, nine others from screening Magu as EFCC chairman

Raji Oyewumi, an activist, has asked a Federal High Court in Abuja to disqualify Senate President Bukola Saraki, and 10 other senators from participating in the screening and confirmation of Ibrahim Magu as the substantive chairman of EFCC.

Mr. Oyewumi, an anti-corruption crusader, in a suit filed in the court on Tuesday, alleged that Mr. Saraki and other senators joined in the suit would be biased if allowed to screen Magu.

Joined in the suit dated February 13, are senators Godswill Akpabio, Jonah Jang, Aliyu Wammako, Stella Oduah, Theodore Orji and Rabiu Kwankwaso.

‎Also joined in the suit are senators Ahmed Sani, Danjuma Goje, Joshua Dariye and Abdullahi Adamu.

Others are the Clerk of the National Assembly, the Senate, the Attorney-General of the Federation and Mr. Magu.

According to Mr. Oyewumi, the senators cannot be fair in the screening and confirmation of Magu, since all of them have pending cases before the EFCC‎.

‎According to him, Mr. Saraki and others are threatened by the leadership of Mr. Magu as EFCC chairman.

He asked the court to determine whether the senate president and other senators would not violate the provisions of Section 56, 172 of paragraph‎ 1 and 9 of the fifth schedule to the 1999 constitution if they participate in screening Magu.

He prayed the court for an injunction restraining the senate president from presiding over or participating in the screening, deliberation and voting on the nomination of Magu as EFCC chairman.

In the affidavit in support of the ‎originating summons, the activist said that the senate president exhibited bias against the confirmation of Magu.

He said the bias was shown when he failed or refused to read the President’s letter on the floor of the Senate until three weeks after.

No date has been fixed for the hearing of the matter‎.

(NAN)