The Senate on Wednesday resolved to investigate the alleged derogatory comments made against it by the chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee on Anti-Corruption, Professor Itse Sagay concerning the Senate’s insistence that President Muhammadu Buhari should act on its decision to disqualify the acting chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ibrahim Magu.

The Senate had during its Tuesday session suspended consideration of President Mohammadu Buhari’s nomination of 27 persons for appointment as Resident Electoral Commission (REC), hinging the decision on the President’s failure to respect its decision not to confirm Magu as the substantive EFCC boss.
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But in responding to that decision of Senate, Sagay was reported by a national daily to have described the Senate’s decision in which it called on Buhari to sack Magu as “childish and irresponsible.”

He was also reported to have stated that “the Senate was filled with people of questionable character, who put their personal interest ahead of that of the nation.”

In his motion on Wednesday, Deputy Senate Senate Leader, Bala Na’Allah asked the Senate to invite Sagay to appear before its Ethics and Privileges Committee to name the persons of questionable characters that constituted the Senate.

Na’Allah said: “If somebody in the standing of Professor Sagay could make this comment, it means this senate is under obligation to invite Itse Sagay to come and name the questionable people that fill this senate. It is very important at this stage of our political development. It is very important.”

Adopting the motion, the Senate referred the matter to its Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Code of Conduct for investigation. A report from the committee is expected in four weeks.
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