Former Senate President, Bukola Saraki, has expressed excitement over the Court of Appeal ruling that Ibrahim Magu’s prolonged tenure as acting Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) Chairman was unlawful, noting that this development has vindicated the decision of the 8th Senate to reject Magu’s nomination during the era of the late President Muhammadu Buhari.

Saraki said the Senate, under his leadership, rejected Magu’s nomination as substantive EFCC chairman twice in 2016 and 2017.

Despite the rejections, Magu continued to serve as acting chairman until July 2020 without Senate confirmation.

Reacting to the development in a statement sighted by The Guardian yesterday, he said: “It is often said that the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.

“Back in 2016 and 2017, the 8th Senate, under my leadership, rejected Ibrahim Magu’s nomination as substantive EFCC Chairman not once but twice. Still, he remained in office illegally until July 2020, without confirmation by the Senate.”

Saraki further said the Senate’s rejection of Magu’s nomination was based on its constitutional responsibility rather than political considerations.

“At the time, some called our decision political. It wasn’t. We were simply exercising our constitutional duty and standing by what was right. My colleagues in the 8th Senate and I, as well as our families and associates, endured what I can only describe as attempts by Magu to terrorise us. Doing what was right came at a huge personal and public cost,” he said.

The former Senate President, however, noted that with the Court of Appeal judgement coming nearly a decade later, he felt vindicated, demonstrating that the Senate leadership acted accordingly.

“For those of us who have had the privilege of serving this nation, the deepest lesson in all of this is that time may test one’s conviction, but it always ultimately reveals the value of standing on principle,” he said.