By Henry Umoru & Joseph Erunke
ABUJA — STRONG indications emerged, yesterday, that following the intervention of powerful Nigerians in the ongoing face-off between the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, David Babachir Lawal, and the Senate over the controversial grass-cutting contract scandal, Lawal may have reversed his earlier position not to appear before the Senate because he was in court.

SGF Engr Babachir David Lawal

The Senate had, Tuesday, in a letter dated March 15, 2017 and signed by Chairman, Senate Ad-hoc Committee on Mounting Humanitarian Crisis in the North-East, Senator Shehu Sani (APC, Kaduna Central), asked the SGF to appear before it yesterday, as part of moves to get his side on the ongoing investigation into claims that funds earmarked for the humanitarian crisis in the North-East were mismanaged.

Vanguard gathered, yesterday, that the government was surprised that such a letter came from the SGF when the system was already being overheated following the case of the acting chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Ibrahim Magu, whose confimation as substantive chairman was rejected by the Senate as well as the fight between senators and the Comptroller-General of Customs, Col. Hameed Ibrahim Ali (retd).

Noting that the SGF’s stance would further make the polity tensed, the source said some very powerful Nigerians pleaded with the Senate President, Senator Bukola Saraki and Senate leader, Senator Ahmad Lawan to give the embattled SGF soft landing.

Thereafter, Lawal was then advised to withdraw the earlier letter that had to do with him going to court.

Following the intervention, the SGF,  made a U- turn, saying that he could not appear before the lawmakers yesterday because he had a pressing government engagement.

In a letter dated March 23, 2017 and addressed to the Chairman, Senate Ad-hoc Committee on Mounting Humanitarian Crisis in the North East, entitled, “Re: Invitation for Public Hearing,” he said: “I wish to kindly request to draw the attention of the other members of the committee that I will not be able to appear before the committee primarily because of a pressing engagement of government, which clashed with the date and time of the hearing. I kindly request a rescheduling of the hearing, please.”

Briefing newsmen on the development, Senator Shehu Sani, confirmed receiving a letter from the SGF explaining his inability to honour his committee’s invitation, adding that the nation’s scribe would soon be re-invited for a re-scheduled public hearing soon.

His words: “Meanwhile, you should understand that we are not investigating the SGF alone. We are investigating contracts that were awarded under the Presidential Initiative on the  North East, PINE, and  over  20 companies were involved. We could not trace addresses of companies awarded contracts’’

Senator Sani expressed shock that his committee could not verify addresses of companies awarded the controversial contracts, describing the development as not only shocking but also strange.