Posted by By FEMI BABAFEMI on
In a manner reminiscent of the large scale bribery of lawmakers to push through the third term agenda of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, Senators have again come under the inducement of forces who have begun to offer them N5 million each to pass a vote of no confidence in the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Mr. Michael Aondoakaa over his face-off with the EFCC chairman, Nuhu Ribadu.
In a manner reminiscent of the large scale bribery of lawmakers to push through the third term agenda of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, Senators have again come under the inducement of forces who have begun to offer them N5 million each to pass a vote of no confidence in the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Mr. Michael Aondoakaa over his face-off with the EFCC chairman, Nuhu Ribadu.
The move, Daily Sun learnt, is a follow up to last week's bid by some senators to make the senate pass a vote of confidence in Ribadu.
The EFCC boss has been locked in a supremacy battle with the AGF over the prosecution of cases of graft being handled by the commission.
The AGF had insisted that all agencies involved in the prosecution of criminal cases must follow the rule of law which, he said, is the bedrock of the Umaru Musa Yar'Adua administration.
With the collapse of the bid to secure a vote of confidence for Ribadu in the Senate, sources close to the upper legislative chamber revealed that some pro-third term characters being coordinated by a former presidential aide went back to the drawing board and came up with the plot to discredit the AGF with the vote of no confidence.
The offer of N5million for each senator is said to be bankrolled by two prominent businessmen.
According to Daily Sun source, "some characters who worked on the third term project are again involved in the latest effort and their ultimate aim is to see to the removal of the AGF and upstage the policy thrust of the Yar'Adua administration which is obedience to the rule of law."
The source further buttressed the point by explaining that "those behind the plot know that a vote of no confidence in the AGF from the Senate amounts to nothing in a Presidential system because ministers are appointed at the pleasure of Mr President. But they are just interested in the propaganda value, and to discredit the President who enunciated the rule of law policy."
Since the face-off between the AGF and EFCC became a public issue, Nigerians have been divided over the constitutional powers of the AGF to supervise EFCC and other anti-graft agencies.
While Lagos based lawyers, Gani Fawehinmi and Femi Falana have insisted that the AGF has no power to interfere in the work of the anti-graft agencies, more prominent lawyers, groups and eminent citizens have however backed the AGF's bid to enforce the rule of law in all cases being prosecuted by the agencies.
Some of those that have spoken in support of the AGF include the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Body of Benchers, Chief Afe Babalola, former Attorney-General, Akin Olujimi, Prof. Jadesola Akande and former Commonwealth Secretary General, Chief Emeka Anyaoku, among others.