How anti-Saraki Senators Keep David Babachir Lawal, Ibrahim Magu in Office

Senators opposed to the leadership of the Sen­ate President, Bukola Saraki, have been accused of working with President Mu­hammadu Buhari to reject Senator Shehu Sani-led Ad-hoc Committee’s Report that indicted and recommended the sack and prosecution of the Secretary to the Gov­ernment of the Federation (SGF), Mr David Babachir Lawal.

Buhari had in a letter he wrote to the Senate on Tues­day on the committee’s re­port that Lawal diverted funds meant to provide wel­fare and infrastructural facil­ities for Internally Displaced Persons in the North East, said that the report was re­plete with several lapses.

The President said that he would not sack Lawal on the basis of the report because he was not given fair hearing.

In another letter, the Pres­ident asked the Senate to ig­nore the report of the DSS that indicted the Acting Chairman of Economic and Financial Crimes Commis­sion (EFCC), Mr Ibrahim Magu, and confirm him for the position of substantive Head of the anti-graft agency.

A Senator from Zamfara State, who is an associate of Buhari, opposed the recent peace accord reached be­tween the Senators of Unity Forum (SUF) with Saraki in which the Senate President conceded some juicy com­mittees, exposed the flaws in the Senator Sani report to the Presidency.

A source close to the Pres­idency, said the aggrieved Senators who are die-hard anti-Saraki lawmakers, had meetings with the President in secret to scuttle the report.

He said the Senators, who are not happy that Saraki of late appears to be winning acceptance and currying fa­vours from Buhari, talked Buhari into upturning the decision of the Upper House to remove the SGF and reject Magu.

According to him, the Senate is indeed at a cross­road between accepting Bu­hari’s decision to have Magu and Lawal work with him regardless of whatever cor­rupt charges levelled against them by the parliament and maintain the new-found love with Saraki or be on a war path with the Senate and its President should the Up­per Chamber insist on doing away with Magu and Lawal.