A south west leader, Senator Femi Okurounmu, has insisted that the Nigerian Senate has the final say on the appointment of the Chairman of the Economi
A south west leader, Senator Femi Okurounmu, has insisted that the Nigerian Senate has the final say on the appointment of the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission EFCC, Ibrahim Magu. He declared that President Muhammadu Buhari may be impeached if he pushed his demand on the matter beyond his constitutional limit.
Recall that the Senate had twice rejected the appointment of Ibrahim Magu as the substantive Chairman of the EFCC. Despite his rejection Buhari is still insisting on his appointment.
Recently there have been growing rift between the President and the Senate. The former lawmaker said, “There is separation of power between the executive and the legislature.The power of the executive in this case is to nominate. It is the power of the legislature to confirm or not to confirm.
“Once the Senate declines confirmation, that is the end. The Senate has the last and final say. That is what our constitution says.
“The president cannot appoint a man to a position, if the Senate says no.
“There are two issues involved here. If the Senate rejects him and the president allows him to act, that is an impeachable offence. If our legislature is up to the task, if our lawmakers know their rights and they are men of honour, that is enough to impeach the president.
“Even American president cannot do that against the wish of the people. Once the president nominates and the Senate refuses to confirm, that is the end of the matter.
“If the president insists that he must continue to act, the president himself can be removed. The president is insisting on his appointment because he has his own agenda.
“And it is not for the president to come and implement a personal agenda. The president is not a dictator, he is not an autocrat. He was elected by the people. He is a constitutional president. As a constitutional president, there are constitutional limits to his powers. And if he exceeds those constitutional limits, he should be removed.”
