‘Buhari can re-nominate him 10 times,’ Sagay says

Sagay, who’s the Chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee against Corruption (PACAC), made the comments during an interview with Vanguard. Excerpts below:

What do you see as the implication of Senate’s rejection of Magu for the second time?

He remains the acting chairman.

But some senior lawyers argue that he cannot be re-nominated for the third time?

Why not? Let them go and bring the law that says he cannot be re-nominated, he can be re-nominated 10 times. There is no such provision that says he cannot be re-nominated.

The Senate does not have the power to say who is to be nominated or appointed, all they do is just to confirm and if they do not confirm, then he remains in an acting capacity. That is all.

But do you suspect that some persons in the presidency do not want Magu as substantive chairman of the EFCC?

I will not be surprised if there is internal conspiracy going on. I will not be surprised because it is obvious. Some people perceive the issue of the Secretary to Government of the Federation, SGF, Mr. Babachir David Lawal, as having a moral burden on the Buhari presidency.

Does the president have the right or authority to clear any of acts of corruptions? Well, if a person is corrupt and he actually committed the act of corruption, nobody can clear him. It is just like saying that a human being can forgive you your sins. You can forgive the person who wrongs you but only God can forgive sins in that technical sense.

So, if a person has committed a corrupt act, he cannot be cleared. The only power anyone has including the president is to waive the consequences of the offence or overlook it or warn the person. Certainly, the offence remains an offence.

How do you see alleged corrupt politicians moving to the APC in an attempt to evade prosecution?

Such an act constitutes an act of self-delusion. That you commit a serious act of fraud somewhere and then, you leave your party and jump into the APC thinking that your act of fraud would be forgotten, that is not possible. That is why some of us are determined and very firm that Magu should remain in that position because Magu is not going to forgive you for that. He is not going to look at your party, he will look only at the crime and the perpetrators. So, it makes no difference, it is self-delusion.