The Senate, on Friday, said it was not aware of any plan to impeach the Actg. President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, over the on-going stand-off between the legislature and the presidency regarding the nomination of Ibrahim Magu as the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The Minority Whip of the Senate, Senator Sola Adeyeye, in an opinion piece sent to one of our correspondents through WhatsApp and titled, “The Rule of Law is Supreme,” stated that if there was such a move, it would fail.
According to him, there is no plan to install the President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki, as the acting president of the country.
Adeyeye said, “For the avoidance of doubt, let me state here again that I was a strong supporter of Magu. I enthusiastically canvassed support for his confirmation. I shouted the loudest ‘Yea!’ when the vote was taken on his confirmation.
“However, once he has not been confirmed, it is my categorical view that a nominee whose nomination has been rejected by the Senate cannot continue to function in that office. Otherwise, what was the essence of the legal provision for confirmation?
“Sadly, rumours are being peddled that senators are being steered in a ploy to heighten a Saraki-Osinbajo conflict to a point where the Acting President can be impeached, so that Saraki can take over as Acting President. I am not aware of such a ploy within the senate.
“More importantly, I dare say that were such a ploy to exist, it would woefully and precipitously fail. What matters, therefore, is that Prof Osinbajo must not be misled into siding with those talking as if their own views are the views of the Supreme Court of Nigeria.”
While stating that the noise level from the “flurry of endless analysts and commentators” was creating more hoopla than were necessary, Adeyeye stressed that there was nothing strange for a nominee to be denied confirmation by a legislature.
“So far, no one has said that the Nigerian Senate manufactured the DSS report that caustically scathed Magu,” he noted.
Adeyeye also said pundits claiming that the issue was purely a legal matter were wrong.
The senator backed a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Mr. Yusuf Ali, that the Nigerian Constitution did not envisage “a ceremonial legislature that must rubber-stamp every wish of the Executive.”
Adeyeye added, “A quick corollary to this firm opinion, however, is the very poor image and negative perception of the senate in the eye of the public. This pitches emotive issue of morality against the sanctity of the law. The balancing of these two perspectives remains a challenge for the senate and equally for a public that is obviously and justifiably angry.
“One solution is to be diligent with the court process rather than to then say that because of public anger at perceived misdeeds within the senate, the institution should be further weakened. Otherwise, let us weaken the military, the court or any agency because as with the legislature, there are misdeeds in these institutions too!”
