Posted by By ISMAIL OMIPIDAN, Abuja on
The Senate on Wednesday turned down a spirited attempt by some senators to get a vote of confidence in the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, and to stop the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr Michael Andoaokaa (SAN) from what they termed incessant interference in the prosecuting powers of the EFCC.
The Senate on Wednesday turned down a spirited attempt by some senators to get a vote of confidence in the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, and to stop the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr Michael Andoaokaa (SAN) from what they termed incessant interference in the prosecuting powers of the EFCC.
Instead, the Senate called on President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua to call both Ribadu and Andoaokaa to order, saying the public altercation has caused untold embarrassment to the image of Nigeria, even as it urged the EFCC to prosecute without any further delay all those it had so far established cases of corruption against. It also called on its committee on judiciary and anti-corruption to probe the face-off.
The Senate's decision was sequel to a motion brought before it by Senator Lee Maeba (PDP, Rivers) and seconded by Senator James Manager (PDP, Delta South).
In moving the motion, Maeba, who claimed that several newspaper advertorials had been placed by civil society organisations, allegedly condemning the actions and utterances of the AGF, further said there were "condemnations by the public and several Nigerians that is almost a daily feature in major newspapers," a situation, he noted, was putting the anti-corruption crusade of the present government into ridicule. "It is only imperative for the Senate to take urgent action to keep the anti-corruption war on course,'' he said.
However, before the motion was seconded, another senator, Isiaka Adeleke (PDP, Osun) moved against it by drawing the attention of the Senate to one of its standing rules that forbids it from discussing any issue that was already before the court.
Adeleke argued that the motion before the Senate touched on an issue that was awaiting a judicial interpretation.
Senate President, David Mark, ruled him out of order, saying that the motion in his own view, did not in any way constitute a threat to the ongoing judicial process on the matter, declaring, "since the matter is already in the public court, the Senate has a duty to discuss it, which we have done. The spirit of the motion is to discourage corruption and encourage the rule of law."
Following Senate President's decision to take the motion, senators took turns to make their own contributions, with Senator Joseph Akaargegeer (PDP, Benue ) opposing the motion, and accusing the EFCC of flagrantly disobeying court orders. Making reference to the court order restraining the EFCC from arresting and prosecuting former Abia State governor and presidential candidate of the Progressive Peoples Alliance (PPA) in the last presidential elections, Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu, Senator Akaargegeer said: "When Kalu was taken to court, there was an interlocutory order stopping that trial. The fact that President George Bush sat somewhere and commended EFCC does not mean that we should commend the recklessness of the EFCC.''
Speaking in the same vein, the Senate committee chairman on Security and Intelligence, Senator Nuhu Aliyu, said although he liked the EFCC as an institution, detested what Ribadu as an individual was doing. He said Ribadu flouted the law in the past "because he had the support of the former president, he went ahead to damn the consequences. But what we are talking about here is the rule of law. This matter is not for this House, it is for the Presidency, so let them go and sort it out.''
Senator Julius Ucha also kicked against the motion, saying the issue could be better handled by the Senate Committee on Judiciary, without necessarily bothering the Senate with the motion.
Senator Ayogu Eze (PDP, Enugu North) in his own contribution said: "To put it mildly, what has been happening is very embarrassing. The way the agencies have been working at cross supposes a house that is not in order. Before we arrived at where we are here, Nigeria was riding on a high wave of international acceptability based on the anti-corruption war."
Senator Smart Adeyemi (PDP, Kogi West), on his part, accused the AGF of allowing his personal interest to becloud his sense of duty, adding: "I am of the opinion that the EFCC should be invited here along with the Attorney General. The Attorney General should be told in clear terms that we have had AGFs in time past and that their duties are not done on the pages of the newspapers.''
Also contributing to the debate, former Zamfara State governor, Senator Ahmed Sani Yerima, who, incidentally is one of those Ribadu had alleged stole money directly from the State coffers, said: "Nigerians are waiting for this administration, to see how it is going to address corruption. We can say that the EFCC has its own problems. I don't believe that if the EFCC chairman is having problems, we should use that to condemn the works of the commission.''
At the end, of the four prayers sought by the mover of the motion, only two were endorsed. Apart from turning down the request to pass a vote of confidence in Ribadu, the Senate also unanimously negated the prayer requesting the Senate to "curtail the undue and incessant interference in the prosecuting powers of the EFCC, which tend to mislead the public and also appears to ridicule the resolve by this administration to fight corruption and bring corrupt persons to book."
It, however, mandated its committee on judiciary to investigate the matter and to report back within two weeks.