SENATORS HAVE TAKEN A BATTLE POSITION AGAINST THE PRESIDENT AND I BELIEVE IT SHOULD BE FOUGHT HERE AND NOW.
I’m much disturbed by what’s happening in the Presidency and all Nigerians should feel concerned.
President Buhari is the first Nigerian President that seriously proposed doing a full scale war against Corruption in the polity. No one doubted him as he had done it before in his first coming. When he eventually won the Presidency, the body language was frightful to the corrupt and he took off well enough.
When Buhari appointed one little known Magu to head the EFCC no one raised an eyebrow. We all knew that this is one area Buhari was well prepared for even if some felt that he was not so well prepared for unforeseen poor economic weather.
Buhari also picked a Hulk Hogan lookalike – Lawal Daura to head the DSS. Nepotistic as some thought it was, most of us were fine with it because that position needed one in whom you have absolute confidence. If Buhari’s childhood friend, nephew and confidant in all of their growing years recommended this man out of retirement to head DSS, it is fine. This confidant was also saddled with sourcing for Buhari’s Chief of Staff, Kyari. This older (by two years) nephew of Buhari actually wanted no official political office for himself. He would be satisfied with being the Chairman and Secretary of Buhari’s Inner Kitchen Cabinet.
Thus Mammam Duara became the Power behind power in Aso Rock. Lawal, (an old work colleague of mine in DSC in the 1980/90s) joined as the SFG. I do not know how Lawal came in but he is said to be a faithful follower of Buhari in the CPC years. Now all set for power play. Then a retired Air force officer entered the scene. He was not known as a close friend of Buhari from the past but he worked very close to Dasuki in the area of arms procurement in the days of Jonathan. He seemed to have plenty information on the activities of Dasuki. He passed these valuable info to Buhari who loved it. So Muhammed Umar not only got incorporated in Buhari’s Committee probing arms procurement in years before him but got saddled with even recommending most of the other members.
The information at his possession were valuable in nailing Dasuki. Meanwhile he moved fast in the hierarchy of Buharis inner caucus to the point of sitting next to Buhari’s ear. This man did not come from Mamman and there was no way he would love him or his audacity in attempting to be closer to the President. Umar Muhammed became a target. He must be thrown out. Mamman got his DSS to move and they did. Not too long after their move yielded a Report indicting Muhammed of blackmailing and fronting for members of the Committee. Very unlike Buhari, there was very swift action that got this retired Commondore arrested. That ended Umar power search in Aso Rock in June, 2016.
Outside Aso Rock, Magu was doing just well. He had gotten many many Heavy weight politicians into the net. One such victim is the President of the Senate, Saraki. Mamman tried to get Magu under his control, but it just was not working. He devised other methods by making the DSS try to take over many functions of EFCC. He suceeded in some areas like the invasion of the Judges which the DSS was later told to hands off and leave with the EFCC.
The main problem Mamman had with Magu apart from trying to bring him under his control was that he wanted him to give Saraki some respite from his many troubles. That was not working. More importantly, he wanted a reduction in EFCC strangle hold on Dansuki, at least in the area of bail. Magu would not bulge an inch. You wonder why he want this for Dasuki? Let me help you here. Daura’s sister is Dasuki’s wife. Naturally, he wouldn’t want his sister a widow. Commondore Muhammed Umar who betrayed Dasuki was now having his own, but Magu was proving too tough to handle.
By the way, who does this Magu think he is? He is so disrespectful and uncontrollable, even now that he had not been confirmed the Chairman of the Commission. What would happen after the confirmation. No. He must not be confirmed.
Mamman and his Aso Rock Power Group hit a pact with Saraki. ALL SARAKI’S NUMEROUS COURT CASES WOULD BE DIFFUSED IF SARAKI ENSURES THAT MAGU NEVER GETS CONFIRMED. A deal was done. Daura, swung into action immediately. He reached out to the AGF to stop forthwith, the proposed modification of the Forgery case against Saraki for re-arraignment before another court having been discharged by an earlier one. It worked. Suddenly, the relationship between Saraki and Buhari improved. Saraki was now appearing at all dinners with Buhari. They were together at Akeredolu’s campaign where you could see him doing “Torr” to Buhari’s erstwhile friend, Tinubu. Saraki was now representing Buhari at the installation of the new government in Benin City. Wonders will never end. But it was still not easy for Mamman to sell to Buhari the idea of removing Magu.
While Buhari was on leave last year there was a sudden transmission of a letter from the Presidency requesting the confirmation of Magu. Discerning political analysts knew something was in the cooking. Why this at a time when Buhari was not around. None felt it would be easy because the activities of Magu had touched the leadership of the Senate, including the Senate President. Why then should the President be out before the request to the Senate. Magu appeared before Saraki’s Senate. He was shocked what he found there. A report which emanated from Daura’s DSS fatally indicted him of some wrong doings, including living in a mansion paid for by that same Muhammed Umar. He was also said to have flown First Class to London and Saudi Arabia in company of Umar. Magu was turned back.
So, based on DSS Report on Magu, the Senate rejected Magu. To most people including me, this was expected, but not the method. DSS is a Unit under the Executive. How possibly, could Buhari have decided to send Magu for confirmation knowing of such a report? Maybe he did not even know of it. Was it to weaken Buhari and present him to the world as unserious about his corruption drive asking for the approval of a corrupt man as head on an Anti Corruption Commission? Was it administratively right for information to move from the Executive wing to the Legislature without the knowledge of the Chief Executive? I remember Diezani and Yakubu turning down invitation to appear before the legislature on the ground that all such communications be passed through the President. The President did not give the permission and they refused to appear. At a point, at pain at the thought that Buhari himself was possibly part of the game. I was relieved of this pain when Buhari hinted that he would get the AGF to investigate the allegations against Magu. Though I felt that Buhari missed a point by not querying DSS for sending a report to the legislature that he was not aware of, I consoled self saying Buhari simply wanted to show transparency.
The investigation commenced. A source said the Vice-president, Yemi Osinbajo, played a leading role in the investigation and ended up absolving Mr. Magu of any culpability, morally or legally, and afterwards recommended that he should be re-nominated by the President. Besides that investigation that involved the Vice-President and the Justice Minister, the Presidential Advisory Council on anti-corruption also undertook a separate task and equally advised Buhari to re-nominate Mr. Magu.
The President wrote to the Senate telling them that he had investigated the issues raised against Magu and found that he is not culpable and so was sending back Magu for reconfirmation.
Time was up for Magu to reappear before the Senate. That was fixed for Wednesday. The path was now clear for his confirmation, but once again, Senate turned down Magu!!! That same report showed up.
Now just tell me what could be happening.
**Do we still have a President ruling?
**Can you now understand what Aisha Buhari was talking about some months ago that a Cabal in Aso Rock had taken over and manipulating the President and indirectly ruling? She repeated this while Buhari was in London some three weeks ago that the same Cabal were sheilding people away from seeing or calling the President.
**How is the President going to take this. A member of his inner caucus colluding with the legislature to dismantle him?
**What respect is left for the President if Saraki has now publicly shows that he has more respect for Mamman Daura that has no position in this government than the Presidential Adviser on Corruption, the Minister for Justice, Vice President and of course the President?
President has now just one way opened to him otherwise he is gliding down a steep slope and we shall let him go that way alone.
The President just must remove:
1) LAWAL DUARA
The Presidential Investigation had been done and found that Magu was not guilty as his Commission said, he should have resigned. If he is suffering from the usual Tenacity in Office syndrome that bugs most Nigerians, he should have written the Senate President to withdraw the former SSS report he sent in. He did not. He permitted his subordinate to sign a cover note affirming that the Report still stood and that the President lied. Furthermore, he has no right to send reports to the legislators without clearance from his Boss, the President.
2. KYARI.
As the Head of the President’s Staff he should have ensured that the findings of the Presidetial Investigation Team that exonerated Magu was made available to The Director of DSS and ensured he acted appropriately by withdrawing the old report.
3. SFG LAWAL
The Secretary to the Government, he should live above board. The issue of awarding IDP contract to himself or his crony should not be anywhere around the President’s Office.
4. MAMMAN DAURA
This man has no official position in this government. He has done just too much, tarnishing the image of this government. Now that he is now publicly displaying that he rules over the President, it is in the interest of Buhari to send him far off from Aso Rock.
5. SARAKI.
The Presidency must set in motion immediatly, instrument to impeach Saraki. I do not care how it is done, even if it involves use of “Constituency Projects”. He has to go. Singularly he has destroyed the APC and the government more than all other people put together. Thereafter, his cases in court be expedited and he thrown to jail.
LOOKING BACK.
Is it getting clearer also how Saraki got that position. These men – Particularly Mamnan Duara, Kyari – must have plotted that meeting between Buhari and the APC on the day slated for the election of the Senate President. While organizing the meeting, he must have told Saraki to mobilize PDP for his election in the absence of the APC legislators. What I am yet to be convinced of is whether Buhari was conned or was part of the plot.
Well, things will start getting revealed very quickly from now on. Saraki must leave NOW.
– HUSSAINI MONGUNO
